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WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORUK 



BOOK I 



SPLENDID DEEDS 



OF 

AMERICAN HEROES ON SEA AND LAND 

EMBRACING 

A COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF THE GLORIOUS NAVAL AND 
MILITARY EVENTS FROM WASHINGTON TO DEWEY 

BY 

BISHOP SAMUEL FALLOWS, D. D., LL. D. 

AUTHOR OF "SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS," "PROGRESSIVE DICTIONARY," "LIFE OF SAMUEL 
ADAMS," EDITOR "AMERICAN CHARACTER SKETCHES," ETC., ETC. 

ASSISTED BY 

ALICE KATHARINE FALLOWS, A. B., PROFESSOR ELLERY C. HUNTINGTON, A. M., AND 
ELIZABETH A. REED, A. M., L. H. D. 
AUTHOR OF HINDU LITERATURE; PERSIAN LITERATURE, ETC. 

Superbly Illustrated with Matiy Full Page Colored Plates and Half-tones 
Made Especially for This Book 



BOOK II 



LIVING ISSUES 



WILLIAM Mckinley 

W. J. BRYAN 
archbishop IRELAND 

w. bourke cockran 

GEORGE DEWEY 



BY 

SAMUEL FALLOWS, LL.D. 

STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS 
GEO. G. VEST 
J. G. SCHURMAN 
THEODORE ROOSEVELT 
EX-GOVERNOR HOGG 

AND MANY OTHERS 



GEO. F. HOAR 
H. M. TELLER 
ANDREW CARNEGIE 
SAMUEL GOMPERS 
A, J. BEVERIDGE 



Illustrated by Frank Beard 



J. L. Nichols & Co. 

MANUFACTURING PUBLISHERS OF POPULAR SUBSCRIPTION BOOKS ON THE 
EXCLUSIVE TERRITORY PLAN 

TORONTO, ONT. 



NAPERVILLE (CHICAGO), ILL. 



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TWO COPIES RECEIVED. 

LiBrsry of Cei!srai% 
'jffloe of til* 

APR ^ 0. 1900 

ij»gltt«r of Copyright* 



5(i(>13 



Entered According to Act of Congress, in the Year 1900, 

By SAMUEL FALLOWS, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



Sold only on subscription, and not to be had in bookstores. Any one 
desiring a copy should address the Publishers. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 






SECOND COPY. 
Vo Co O ^ 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the portion of this work which treats of "Splendid Deeds" we 
are brought face to face with the question: "Is war ever justifiable?" 
And, connected with this interrogatory, is the further question: 
"Should the deeds of war be enlarged upon and even glorified?" 

The admirable words of the Rev. F. A. Noble, D. D., which follow 
this introduction, uttered in the presence of many of the brave heroes 
of our great civil war, will answer fully the first question. 

We may say in reply to the second interrogation, that no nation 
which is worthy to live can sever itself from its past history and dis- 
parage the deeds of the men who have helped give it life, continuance, 
progress and glory. God has put the martial spirit in the breasts of 
men. It is not a mere survival of a savage ancestry. It is to be a con- 
stant force. The youthful spirit must be ever ready to do and dare. 
Woe to that people when the fires of a generous, self-sacrificing en- 
thusiasm among them shall have died out. 

Until the better day shall come, as come it surely will, when nation 
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war 
any more, we must have a well disciplined army and a formidable 
navy. We must be ready to maintain our providential position among 
the nations of the earth. By the very possession of the warlike means 
of self-preservation, and by the unquestioned ability to use them, we 
shall be able to secure ultimately the peace of mankind. 

In the unfolding years the martial spirit will not be displayed in 
the maiming and killing of men. It will find its expression in fighting 
the great moral battles which will be constantly imminent, until the 
millennial glory shall flood the globe. 

In "Splendid Deeds" we have narrated the conflicts with England, 
with Mexico, with our brethren of the South, with Spain and with the 
Filipinos. The wars are all over, thank God, except the contest with 
the guerrilla bands in our island possessions, j^ 

It is one of the most gratifying signs of the times that our relations 

"^ iii 



iv INTRODUCTION. 

with England are of such a friendly nature. She rendered us signal 
service during the Spanish-American war by steadily refusing to join 
the concert of Europe in making that war one of continental compli- 
cations. She showed her cordiality by the earnest sympathy mani- 
fested by the English men-of-war during the engagement at Manila. 

General Thomas M. Anderson said: "If there could have been any 
possible doubt as to sympathy at the bombardment of Manila, it was 
removed when on the day of bombardment the English flagship, with 
steam up and decks cleared, took up a position that would have enabled 
it to slip in between our squadron and the foreign vessels. I do not 
think there was occasion for apprehension, yet it was pleasant to see 
that blood was thicker than salt water." 

Admiral Sampson said, on Queen Victoria's eightieth birthday, 
May 24, 1899: "This year's experiences have made us realize as we 
could not perhaps twelve months ago, that we of England and America 
are members of one great world-wide family with interests and sym- 
pathies in common. 

"Of this I have had practical proof many times repeated during 
these last months, when the ships of England and America have met 
in southern waters, and the fact has made me glad, for it promises to 
continue through all time." 

When Admiral Dewey was at Colombo, Ceylon, on his way to the 
United States, he was royally received by the English governor, the 
Eight. lion. Sir Joseph West Kidgeway. 

The Admiral said: "That cheer raised on the jetty when I landed 
went to the hearts of all of us. We are 14,000 miles from home, but 
that cheer will be heard in America, although the way in which it has 
touched me I shall never be able to fully express. The two nations 
were never so closely allied by mutual sympathy and .appreciation as 
now. The American people realized this during the late war, and you 
can imagine that all those who were at Manila and met Sir Edward 
Chichester, commander of the British first-class cruiser Immortalite, 
and his gallant comrades, hold that feeling very deeply." 

We are becoming more and more closely identified in common inter- 
ests with our sister republic of Mexico. 



INTRODUCTION. -v 

North and South in our own beloved land were never so closely 
bound together as at the present moment. And we are hoping that 
Spain will enter upon a new life, becoming purified and strong, through 
the severe affliction which she has suffered, and with America will 
strive to enlarge and protect the liberties of man. 

"Living Issues," treated of in this volume, are germane to "Splendid 
Deeds," particularly that portion relating to Expansion and Anti- 
Expansion. 

The war with Spain changed the map of the globe and brought our 
country out of its comparatively insular condition into the relationship 
of a world-wide power. 

As Kipling sings: 

"We are out of the swaddling clout, thank God, 
We've entered the shining mail, 
We've taken our place at the van of the race. 
We've found new seas to sail." 

The advocates against as well as for this sudden and unexpected 
emerging from our previous national position are fairly and adequately 
treated in its pages. 

Incidentally, "Trusts" are related to the question of Expansion, as 
will be seen by a perusal of many of the opinions given on that subject. 

With the hope of inspiring a profounder love of the land of our birth 
and adoption by the narration of the Splendid Deeds of its heroes on 
sea and land, and with the desire of furnishing the material for an 
intelligent judgment on some of the greatest Living Issues which de- 
mand the earnest consideration of the American people, this book is 
respectfully given to the public. 

Chicago, January 25, 1900. SAMUEL FALLOWS. 



IS WAR EVER JUSTIFIABLE? 

REV. F. A. NOBLE, D. D. 

Is war ever justifiable? Or if war was once justifiable, is it jus- 
tifiable still? Under our modern civilization, has war any proper part 
to play, any real contribution to make, to the development and progress 



VI 



INTRODUCTION. 



of mankind? With all the advancement which has been registered, 
and with all the light of these closing years of the nineteenth century 
pouring in upon them, may peoples, now as of old, resort to the drastic 
and terrible means of the battlefield and the navy engagement to gain 
their ends? Are there any ends so imperative and sacred that before 
God and the universe peoples are warranted in turning to sword and 
gun to secure them? 

There are those whose response to this question, in whatever form 
it may be put, is in the negative. They take the ground that under any 
and all circumstances war is contrary to the moral laws under which 
we live, and that at the bar of a true ethical conception of duty it must 
stand condemned. Even were this not so, they insist that war is in itself 
a greater evil than any evil it may ever be invoked to redress. It is 
better to endure burdens, so it is claimed — burdens of limitation and 
injustice and oppression — until they can be remedied by peaceable 
methods than to fight to get rid of them. 

Sidney Smith said: "In war, God is forgotten and every principle 
of Christianity is trampled upon." Adam Clark said: "War is as 
contrary to the spirit of Christianity as murder," Franklin said: "There 
never has been and never will be such a thing as a good war, or a bad 
peace." Sumner said: "Thei'e is no war that is honorable, and no 
peace that is dishonorable." John Bright said: "If we adhere to the 
heathen practice of warfare we should abandon our pretensions and 
no longer claim to be Christians. Take down at any rate your Ten 
Commandments from inside the churches, and say no longer that you 
read and believe in the Sermon on the Mount." 

It would be a strange person who could see nothing to admire in the 
spirit of words like these. But true in part, they are true only in part. 
There have been righteous wars, and there may be again. In a righteous 
war God is not forgotten; nor are the principles of Christianity over- 
ridden and trampled into the dust. Franklin to the contrary notwith- 
standing, history shows that there may be a good war and a bad peace. 
In spite of Sumner's assertion, there have been wars that were hon- 
orable, and terms of surrender and amity which were dishonorable. 
,We may still keep the Ten Commandments inscribed on tablets in our 



INTRODUCTION. vii 

church edifices, and still read and accept the Sermon on the Mount, and 
yet fight in a holy cause — fight to throw off oppression and secure 
liberty and maintain inalienable rights — without in any wise forfeiting 
the name of Christian, or doing violence to the genius of our faith. 

Were not Cromwell and Hampden and Pym and Eliot right in their 
protests against the usurpations and crimes of the Stuarts, and in 
punctuating their protests, when the hour struck for heroic action, with 
Marston Moor and Naseby? Does not the revolt of the Thirteen Colonies 
against the tyranny of English toryism commend itself to the sober 
second thought of the whole liberty-loving world? Can anybody per- 
suade his own mind that Washington and Warren, that Adams and 
Jefferson, that Hancock and Henry, that Franklin and Lee, were only 
the conspirators and agents in a great murder-plot when they conceived, 
and, with the help of their co-patriots and the hardy and resolute yeo- 
manry of the country, prosecuted to a triumphal issue the long-fought 
American Revolution? 

The Hon. Galusha A. Grow, of Pennsylvania, so long and so credit- 
ably before the public, in an address delivered at the unveiling of the 
statue erected in commemoration of the character and public services 
of John P. Hale, at Concord, New Hampshire, a half-dozen years ago, 
used these significant words: "It seems to be a part of the plan of 
Divine Providence that every marked advance in civilization must begin 
in mighty convulsions. The moral law was first proclaimed in the 
thunders of Sinai, and the earthly mission of the Savior of mankind 
closed amidst the rending of mountains and the throes of the earth- 
quake. The Goddess of Liberty herself was born in the shock of battle, 
and amid its carnage has carved out some of her grandest victories, 
while over its crimson fields the race marches on to higher and uobler 
destinies. As the lightnings of heaven rend and destroy only to purify 
and reinvigorate, so freedom's cannon furrows the fields of decaying 
empires, and seeds them anew with human gore, from which springs a 
more vigorous race, to cherish the hopes and guard the rights of man- 
kind." This is history. In this way have many sorrows come to men, 
but superb and enduring benefits as well. 

Lincoln and Grant left the Great Republic better than they found it. 



viii INTRODUCTION. 

The British Empire is far in advance of what it was when Gladstone 
and Salisburv were born. The oppressions and crimes possible to Rome 
and the governments of the petty and discordant principalities of Italy 
a centurj- ago were made things of the past by Garibaldi and Cavour. 
Germany has come into her self-consciousness and her resplendent posi- 
tion by means not always commendable, but her millions are further 
on than when William and Bismarck began their mighty work. 

It is not easj' to define France, nor wise to attempt to forecast its 
future; but when comparisons are made between the France of Louis 
Fourteenth, or the France of Napoleon the First, or the France of 
Napoleon the Third, with the France of Felix Faure, it is evident that 
Gambetta and his associates in revolution and reconstruction labored 
to some good purpose. Austria and Russia are feeling the upward 
pressure of the times. The Dark Continent is not so dark as it was; 
and India and China are not so hopeless. 

God is in His world. God is in humanity, helping it into a idealiza- 
tion of its high dignity and its sublime possibilities. God is in His 
church. Step by step, stage by stage, He is working His way into the 
laws and customs and iristitutions of society; and this is what takes 
the laws and customs and institutions of society forward. He uses sun- 
shine and He uses storms to accomplish His purposes. He is over aU 
and behind all. Princes get mad and rulers set themselves in opposition 
to Him, but He turns their wrath and folly to His own account. He 
acts through good men and through homes and States. He employs 
Peace Societies and He employs Armies to hasten in His Kingdom. 
His Kingdom is coming. In spite of all and against all God will win; 
for "God is love," and "love Avill conquer at the last." 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Inteoduction iii 

BOOK I.— OUR NAVY AND ARMY. 

Chapter I. 

Paul Jones — The Bon Homme Richard and The Serapis — Commodore John 

Barry — Stewart and Bainbridge Plead for the Navy 15 

Chapter II. 

Captain Stephen Decatur — Captain Jacob Jones 37 

Chapter III. 
Captain Isaac Hull 38 

Chapter IV. 
Commodore William Bainbridge — Captain James Lawrence 47 

Chapter V. 
Commodore Oliver H. Perry 66 

Chapter VI. 

Thomas McDonough, the Hero of Lake Champlain 83 

Chapter VII. 

General Armstrong and Privateers of the War — Commodore John Rodgers — 

David Porter — Richard Dale — Alexander Murray 91 

Chapter VIII. 
Admiral Farragut — David Porter — Lieutenant Wm. B. Cushing 104 

Chapter IX. 
Admiral Wm. T. Sampson — Rear Admiral Winfield S. Schley 116 

Chapter X. 
Eichard P. Hobson — Lieutenant Commander Wainwright — Ensign Gillis. . . . 127 

Chapter XL 

The Story of the Winslow — Story of the Gussie — Cutting Cables at Cienfuegos 

Chaplain H. W. Jones 134 

is. 



X TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Chapter XII. 
The Destruction of Cervera's Fleet 144 

CUAPTER XIII. 

Admiral George Dewey — Dewey on Shore — His First Marriage — Appointment 
in Washington — Battle of Manila Bay — The Home Coming of Dewey — 
Reception in New York — Presentation of Sword in Washington — Recep- 
tion in Boston — Laying of Corner Stone of Dewey Hall — Speech of Hon. 
Chauncey Depew — Second Marriage — Gift of Home in Washington 156 

Chapter XIV. 

The Battle of Bunker Hill— Washington at Valley Forge 197 

Chapter XV. 

General Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans — General Winfield Scott — The 

Capture of Mexico. 211 

Chapter XVI. 

Abraham Lincoln — His Birthplace and Boyhood — His Maiden Speech — The 
Typical American — His Character — Sympathy — Prayer — Address at Get- 
tysburg 220 

Chapter XVII. 

General U. S. Grant — A Picture of Grant — Grant and the Child — Grant and 
Lee at Appomattox — His Last Days at Mount McGregor, N. Y. — General 
James A. Garfield 231 

Chapter XVIII. 

The Battles of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain — Union Losses in Civil 

War — Confederate Losses — Complete Statistics of the Civil War 242 

Chapter XIX. 

The Gallant Fight at Guantanamo Bay — Battle of El Caney and San Juan — 

On the San Juan Ridge— The Fight for Santiago 257 

Chapter XX. 

The Daring of Lieutenant Rowan — "Buckey' O'Neil — Tenth Cavalry — Ser- 
geant Bell 271 

Chapter XXI. 

Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy — Preparation for War — Raising the 

Regiment — The Campaign in Cuba — The Reunion of the Rough Riders. . 277 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. xi 

Chapter XXII. 

Spanish-American War — Summary of Invents — The Treaty of Paris — Cost of 

the War in 1898 to Both Nations— Loss of Life, Etc 297 

Chapter XXIII. 

The Philippine Question — The Treaty of Peace — The Philippine Commission 
— Ambition of Aguinaldo — What the Commission Found — The Kebellion 
Must Be Put Down — Work of Reconstruction — A Few Words About Sulu 
— Freedom of the Slaves in Jolo — Future Government of the Philippines 
Rests With Congress — A Protectorate Not Desirable — Will Uphold Sover- 
eignty of U. S. — Kindness to the Filipinos Is the Defeat of Aguinaldo. . . . 304 

Chapter XXIV. 

Frpderick Funston — Early Life — Services in the Agricultural Department — 
University Life — Funston's Student Days — Newspaper Reporter — Alaskan 
Experiences — War Experiences — Funston and the Regular Army — Speech 
to the Regiment — Commandant of Artillery — His Marriage — Bravery of 
the Kansas Regiment — Funston's Famous Exploit — Daring of the Cor- 
poral and Volunteers — Incidents — General Henry W. Lawton — Major 
John A. Logan — The OfEcers and Soldiers of the Filipino War — Report of 
the Philippine Commission — Speech of Senator Albert J. Beveridge 315 



BOOK li.-LIVING ISSUES. 

Chapter XXVI. 

Expansion Sentiments by the Following: Rev. F. A. Noble, D. D. — 
Admir?l Geo. Dewey — Hon. Stephen A. Douglas — Hon. Wm. Pitt Frye — 
Archbishop Ireland — Hon. Cushman K. Davis — Gov. Theo. Roosevelt 
— Hon. D. M. Dickinson — Hon. A. J. Smith — Ex-Senator Peffer — Senator 
Shelby Cullom — Hon. Champ Clark — Chas. J. Bonaparte — Gen. Edward 
S. Bragg — Hon. Wm. Dudley Foulke — Hon. J. P. Dolliver — Judge Oliver 
H. Horton — Bishop Samuel Fallows, D. D. — Hon. E. Benj. Andrews, LL. 
D. — Hon. Luther Laflin Mills, Democrat — Rev. Lyman Abbott, D. D. — 
Judge Richard S. Tuthill — Hon. Geo. Adams, Democrat — Hon. Lambert 
Tree, Democrat — Gen. Jno. Black, Democrat — Hon. John Barton Payne, 
Democrat— Rev. P. S. Henson, D. D.— Rev. Edward Everett Hale, D. D.— 
Eev. Father T. P. Hodnett— Col. J. H. Davidson— Bishop C. H. Fowler, 
D. D.— Rev. J. H. 0. Smith— Rev. E. A. Dunning— Sen. Carter— Gov. 
Roosevelt — Hon. A. G. Foster — Col. Chas. Denby — Murat Halstead — 
Opinions of Professors in 17 Western Colleges, Etc., Etc 339 



xii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Chapter XXYII. 

Anti-Expansion Sentiments: \Vm. J. Bryan — Andrew Carnegie — Gen. J. 
B. Weaver — Hon. Bcnj, R. Tillman — Hon. Geo. F. Hoar — Samuel Gom- 
pers — Hon. Arthur P. Gorman — Hon. Marion Butler — Hon. Geo. G. 
Vest — Hon. Stephen M. White — Charles Francis Adams — Hon. Henry M. 
Teller — Hon. Geo. F. Edmunds — Hon. Adlai Stevenson — David Star Jor- 
dan — Hon. Carl Schurz — Hon. Jno. W. Daniel — Hon. H. D. Money — Hon. 
Wm. E. Mason — Hon. Horace Chilton — Hon. A. 0. Bacon — Hon. Geo. W. 
Turner — Hon. Jno. L. McLaurin — Hon. Alex. S. Clay — Hon. Henry U. 
Johnson — Rev. H. D. Bigelow of Cincinnati — Ex-Congressman Chas. A. 
Town — Prof. Geo. Herron — Ex-Governor Geo. S. Boutell — Prof. A. H. 
Tolman — Prof. J. L. Laughlin — Clarence M. Darrow — Senator Geo. F. 
Hoar— Gen. W. B. Shattuck and Others 393 

Chapter XXVIII. 

Opinions on Trusts by the Following : Prof. Jno. B. Clark — Henry White 
—Hon. W. D. Foulke— Lewis F. Post— M. L. Lockwood— Thos. J. Morgan 
— Edward Keasley — Samuel Gompers — M. M. Garland — Gov. H. S. Pin- 
gree— Hon. Chas. W. Foster— P. E. Dowe— F. B. Thurber— Gov. G. W. 
Atkinson — Hon. C. E. Snodgrass — E. Rosewater — Hon. Dudley Wooten — 
Prof. Jno. G. Brooks, Harvard — Dr. Henry Adams — Attorney General 
E. C. Crowe— Rev. R. A. Wliite— Gov. H. S. Pingree— Rev. J. Lloyd Jones 
— Dr F. W. Gunsaulus — Hon. Bourke Cockran — William J. Bryan — Rev. 
Father Ducey, and Many Others 433 

Chapter XXIX. 
Municipal Ownership 466 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 

George Washington Frontispiece 

Commodore Jones Capturing the Serapis 14 

Commodore Paul Jones 15 

Commodore William Bainbridge 20 

Commodore John Barry 21 

Decatur's Conflict with the Algerians at Tripoli — Reuben Jones Interposing 

His Head to Save the Life of His Commander 28 

Commodore Stephen Decatur 29 

Battle Between the Constitution and the Guerriere 125 

Another View of the Battle Between the Constitution and the Guerriere 124 

Commodore James Laurence 60 

Death of Captain Laurence 6i 

Commodore Oliver H. Perry 76 

Battle of Lake Erie — Commodore Perry Leaving His Flagship 77 

Battle of Lake Champlain — Macdonough Pointing the Gun 82 

Commodore T. Macdonough 83 

Naval Heroes in the Spanish-American War — Rear Admiral Sampson — Rear 
Admiral Schley — Captain Evans — Captain Clark — Lieutenant Commo- 
dore Wainwright , . . 44 

Commodore David E. Farragut , 45 

The Sinking of the Merrimae (Colored Plate) 127 

Hole Made by a Spanish Shot in the Armor Plate of the Battleship Texas. . . 141 

Cutting the Cable Under Fire 140 

Effect of a Good American Shot (Colored Plate) 148 

Adios, Vizcaya ! 152 

Captain Evans Refusing Eulate's Sword 153 

Officer Dewey the Last to Leave the Burning Ship Mississippi 156 

The Hero of Manila — Admiral George Dewey 157 

Dewey's Victory at Manila ( Colored Plate) 185 

Washington Taking Command of the Army at Cambridge, 1775 196 

George Washington (from an original portrait) 197 

At Valley Forge — Washington and Lafayette 200 

Battle of Bunker Hill 201 

General Scott Entering the City of Mexico 217 

General Winfield Scott 216 

Giants of the Republic — George Washington — Abraham Lincoln — U. S. Grant. 231 
Leading Generals Who Commanded Insurgent Forces in Cuba — Antonio 

Maceo — Maximo Gomez — Jose Marti — Calixto Garcia .256 

2 =^'" 



xiv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

Militan- Heroes in the Spanish- American and Philippine Wars — Major Gen. 
Nelson A. Miles— Gen. II. W. Lawton— Major Gen. Joseph Wheeler- 
Col. Theodore Eoosevelt— Major Gen. W. E. Shaftcr 257 

Artillery Men Trying to Locate the Enemy's Batteries Under Fire 178 

Heroic Charge of the Tenth Cavalry (Colored) at San Juan 172 

In the Thick of the Fight Before Santiago (Colored Plate) 267 

Storming of Malate (Colored Plate) 271 

Teddy Roosevelt (Colored Plate) 277 

U. S. Troops Embarking at San Francisco for the Philippine Islands 305 

Aguinaldo, the Insurgent Leader of the Filipinos 304 

United States Volunteer in Full ilarching Order 314 

General Frederick Funston 815 

Eminent Politicians and Statesmen — Expansionists — Gen. Jno. C. Black — 
Hon. Jos. Choatc — Hon. Jno. Barton Pa}-ne — U. S. Senator Mark A. 

Hanna — U. S. Senator Cushman K. Davis 339 

President McKinley and His Cabinet — Expansionists — President McKinley 
Postmaster General Smith — Secretary Root — Secretary Long — Secretary 

Gage — Secretary Wilson — Secretary Hay — Attorney General Griggs 339 

Noted Divines — Expansionists — Cardinal Gibbons — Rev. F. A. Noble, D. D. — . 
Rev. Father T. P. Hodnett, D. D.— Rev. J. P. Brushingham, D. D.— 

Rev. J. II. 0. Smith, D. D 339 

A Group of Expansionists — Hon. Whitelaw Reid — Hon. Luther Laflin Mills — 

Supt. E. B. Andrews— Ex. U. S. Senator Peffer— Hon. Richard S. Tuthill. 339 
Educators and Statesmen — Anti-Expansionists — Prof. E. Yon Hoist — Presi- 
dent Henry Wade Rogers, LL. D. — Ex- Vice-President A. E. Stevenson — 

U. S. Senator Jno. W. Daniel 410 

Eminent Politicians and Statesmen — Anti-Expansionists — Wm. E. Mason — • 
Col. W. J. Bryan— J. G. Carlisle— B. R. Tillman— G. F. Hoar— Geo. G. 

Vest 411 

Statesmen Who Took Part in the Trust Conference — Geo. W. Atkinson — 

W. A. Poynter— Hazen S. Pingree— W. E. Stanley— Edward Scofield 426 

Officers of Conference on Trusts — Dudley G. Wooten — Henry A^. Johnson — 
Franklin II. Head— Wm. Wirt Howe— Stephen P. Corless— Ralph M. 

Easley 427 

Noted Politicians — Anti-Trust — William J. Bryan — W. Bourke Cockran — 

Charles Foster — Henry W. Blair 430 

Men of Affairs on Trusts — Samuel Gompers — Edward Q. Xeasbey — U. M. 

Rose— T. B. Walker— M. M. Garland— A. Leo Weil 431 

How Baleful Trusts Are Operated 439 

The Trust Octopus 447 

The Trust Hog Sent Over the Precipice of Insolvency 45-9 




COMMODORE JO\ES CAPTURING THE SERAPIS 




COMMODORE PAL'L JOKES 



Splendid Deeds of American Heroes. 



CHAPTER 1. 

PAUL JONES, THE BON HOMME RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. 

The American people are justly proud of the historic deeds of their 
navy. Since their first great sea fight between the Bon Homme Richar«l, 
under the command of John Paul Jones, and the English frigate, Sera- 
pis, off Flamborough Head, England, the naval history of this western 
nation has been an almost unbroken line of brilliant exploits. 

This memorable naval duel was fought on September 23, 1779, under 
a full harvest moon, which lent an added weirdness to the scene. On th^L 
English shore were gathered thousands of spectators, who watched the 
engagement with an eagerness and anxiety corresponding to the des- 
perate chances of the game. 

Nothing more thrilling is to be found in naval chronicles. As a close 
and deadly fight, hand to hand, and attended by all the gallant ex- 
hibitions of human courage, it has no parallel in history. 

John Paul Jones was a Scotchman by birth, but some years before 
the Revolutionary war he had become a citizen of the colonies. His 
officers were Americans, but the crew was a motley crowd, representing 
more than a score of nationalities, half of whom, however, were hardy, 
well trained American seamen. The Bon Homme Richard was an old 
vessel and her timbers were soft and rotten, while her poorly cast guns 
were more dangerous to the crew than to the enemy. 

With Jones sailed two other ships, the Pallas and the Alliance; the 
latter commanded by a Frenchman named Landais, a jealous, despicable 
poltroon and traitor. 

Commodore Jones had sighted a fleet of English merchantmen con- 
voyed by the Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough, and at once sig- 
naled for the rest of the squadron to begin a general chase. The Alliance 
being the fastest sailer took the lead in the pursuit. As she moved 
ahead, Captain Landais spoke the Pallas, and told her commander that, 
if the enemy proved to be a fifty-gun ship, there was nothing left but to 

15 



16 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

try to keep out of the way. Landals took his own advice; for he no 
sooner discovered the size of the Serapis, than he hauled off, under full , 
sail. 

The Pallas bravely engaged the Countess of Scarborough, and, after 
a bloody conflict of an hour, Captain Cottineau compelled the white 
cross of St. < ieorge to bow to the Stars and Stripes of an almost name- 
less republic. 

Thus llie Ron Homme Richard and the Serapis were left alone to 
fight in single combat. . 

Ilalf the afternoon, on that memorable 23d of September, the Rich- 
ard, under crowded sail, had determinedly chased the Serapis. At seven 
o'clock, just as the dusk of evening was gathering, Jones came within 
pistol shot of the English ship. 

As the Yankee boat slowly drew near. Captain Pearson hailed her: 

"What ship is that?" 

"Come a little nearer and I'll tell you," was Paul Jones' answer. 

"What are you laden with?" again came from the Englishman. 

"Round, grape and double headed shot!" was the ready-witted reply. 

And almost at the same instant the Richard let go a broadside in 
rebuke to the contemptuous demand of the Serapis upon a man-of-war. 

The Richard carried forty guns, and the whole weight of iron missiles 
she could throw with them all at one discharge was four hundred and 
seventy-four pounds; while the Serapis, with forty-one guns, could 
throw six hundred pounds. 

At the very first discharge two of the eighteen pounders of the 
Richard burst, killing almost every man of the gun crews that served 
them, and, tearing up the deck, created such havoc as to render the four 
other large gnus useless. The inequality of the contest was in this way 
greatly increased, for it reduced the armament of the Richard to nearly 
a third less than that of her antagonist. 

Almost simultaneously the Serapis responded to the Richard's fire 
with a heavy broadside. Flash answered flash. The lightning of artil- 
lery glared upon the scene and the thunder of cannonading was a con- 
tinuous roar. 

The hail of iron tore through both ships. Timbers crashed and death- 
dealing splinters flew in all directions. The decks were strewn with the 
mangled bodies of the dead and dying. 

The sand that had been sprinkled on the floors to keep the men from 
slipping became soaked with blood and refused to hold their hurrying 
footsteps. 



PAUL JONES— THE BON HOMME RICHARD. 17 

Very slowly the two vessels moved along, each trying to cross the 
other's track and with a broadside rake the enemy from stern to bow. 
The Richard had received several shots at the water line and seemed to 
be sinking. 

Any other captain than Paul Jones would have struck his colors. 

Several of the braces of the Richard had been shot away. She would 
not readily respond to the helm, and the bowsprit of the Serapis was 
thrust across the stern of the Richard. This Captain Jones grasped with 
his grappling irons, and with his own hands made the two ships fast. 

Side by side, with yards entangled, so that the sailors of the Richard 
could pass from her maintop to the foretop of the Serapis, they ex- 
changed broadside after broadside. Finding themselves securely locked 
in a fatal embrace that could not be shaken off, the enemy tried to board 
the Richard, but were driven back. 

Officer Stacy, as brave a man as was to be found aboard, but, like 
many sailors given to profanity, began to swear furiously. Jones said 
to him: 

"Don't swear, Mr. Stacy, don't swear; in another minute we may all 
be in eternity, but let us do our duty.'' 

The fight now raged furiously. The lower portholes of the Serapis, 
which had been shut to prevent the Americans from boarding, were 
blown off, as there was not room between the closely lashed hulls to 
raise them. 

The gunners, in ramming down the charges, often ran their ramrods 
into the portholes of the other vessel, so closely were they interlocked. 

The superior armament of the Englishman told upon the Richard; 
her sides were rent by the eighteen pound guns of the Serapis, which, 
with their muzzles thrust into the vex'y portholes of the American boat, 
cleared everything before them. 

The gunners were forced to abandon their pieces on the main deck 
and go above, some to the upper deck and forecastle, others into the 
yards and tops, whence they kept up a constant fire of musketry and 
hand grenades. 

Captain Jones presently realized that with his rotten vessel he would 
soon get the worst of such fighting, and therefore gave the order: 

"Stand by, men, and board her." 

A hundred men made a rush over the gunwales into the Serapis. 

They were met by an equal number of Englishmen, with pistol?:, 
swords and pikes, who drove them back with many killed on either side. 



18 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

In the darkness the flags could not be seen and Captain Pearson, of 
the Serapis, shouted: 

"Have you struck your flag?" 

Back was thundered the historic reply from John Paul Jones: 

"No; I have not yet begun to fight.'' 

With his own hands the undaunted captain served the guns. Thougli 
he was blackened with powder-smoke and woundetl b^' a flying splinter 
he kept calm and watchful, and tried to compensate for the superiority 
of the guns of the enemy by the rapidity of fire of his own. 

The Richard was on fire in several places. The flames were so near 
the powder magazine that her commander ordered the powder kegs to 
be thrown into the sea. 

The sailors and marines, perched above in the mainyard of the Rich- 
ard, had driven almost every man of the Serapis below. Nor were they 
safe here. One dauntless fellow had crawled out on the extreme end 
of the Richard's yard, from whence he could drop hand grenades down 
the enemy's main hatchway with absolute precision. 

One of these hand grenades probably turned the day in favor of the 
Bon Ilomme Richard, for it ignited a row of cartridges that the powder- 
boys of the Serapis had carelessly left, in their dismay, on the gun deck. 

The flash reached from main to mizzen mast, and the explosion was 
terrific. 

Nearly twenty men were blown to pieces or scorched beyond recog- 
nition. The clothing was torn from their bodies so that nothing was 
left but the collars and wristbands of their shirts, or the waistbands 
of their trousers. 

Thirty-eight men were wounded, many beyond hope of recovery, thus 
making a total of nearly sixty who were either killed or disabled. 

At this time the Alliance came alongside and Captain Jones thought 
the battle was at an end. But, to the horror of the Bon Homme Richard, 
Landais, by mistake or crazy intent, poured a broadside into the very 
face of the men on the boat he was supposed to be helping. 

The Alliance did great damage to the Richard by this broadside, and 
though she drew off and seemingly tried to aid her consort, the two con- 
testants were so inextricably interlocked that her fire took effect on 
friend and foe alike. 

Some of the men of the Richard became discouraged, and leaving 
their guns declared that the Englishmen had possession of the ship. 
The water came in freely through the shot holes, and the vessel began 
to settle. 



PAUL JONES—THE BON HOMME RICHARD. 19 

The doctor, runniug from tke cockpit below, said: ''The water is 
gaining so fast that the wounded are floating in it. We must surrender." 

"What, Doctor," cried Jones, smiling grimly, "would you have me 
strike to a drop of water? Here, quick, help me get this gun over there." 
Down far more rapidly than he came up the good doctor went, conclud- 
ing that it was a safer place below than by the side of the man who did 
not know how to surrender. But the vessel was lurching fearfully. The 
conviction deepened every moment among the young officers that the 
ship was doomed. 

The crew were in a panic. 

Some one called: 

"Quarter, quarter, for God's sake, quarter! our ship is sinking!" 

Hearing the crj', Jones shouted fiercely: 

"Shoot the rascals, shoot the rascals who were asking for quarter." 

The guilty sailors no sooner heard that terrible voice than they 
started to skulk below, but the Commodore hurled his pistol at the 
leader's head, which knocked him down at the foot of the gangway, 
where he lay senseless till the end of the battle. 

The officers and men of the Richard entreated Jones to strike his 
colors, but he would not give up the fight. Captain Pearson had also 
heard the crj^ for quarter and hailed the Richard, crying: 

"Why don't you haul down your colors?' 

"Haul down our colors!" cried Jones, "we are waiting for yours to 
come down first." 

The conflict, which had momentarily ceased, was again renewed, but 
both sides were forced to cease firing after a few rounds, as the ships 
were on fire. In the course of the combat the Serapis had been set on 
fire a dozen times, while in the latter part of the engagement the Richard 
■was in a constant blaze. 

In addition to the condition of his ship Captain Jones had two hun- 
dred English prisoners, confined below, who momentarily threatened to 
overpower the American crew. 

But the shrewd Scotchman turned this threatening body of men 
to rare account. There was six feet of water in the hold and he sent an 
officer below to tell the prisoners that the ship was sinking and if they 
did not man the pumps Englishmen and Americans would go down to 
gether. In a frenzy of terror they rushed to the pumps and worked with 
a will, while the crew on deck continued to fight the Serapis. 

This cunning device no doubt saved the day for the Richard, for it 
kept the disabled boat afloat and quieted the panic-stricken men, who 



20 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

had begun to fear the prisoners in the hold quite as much as the enemy's 
guns or a watery grave. 

As soon as order was restored on board the Richard, her chances 
of success began to increase greatly, while the enemy appeared to have 
lost the hope of victory. The fire from the tops of the Richard had shot 
down every man on the quarterdeck of the Serapis, while her mast was 
so cut by shot that it fell with a crash and left the deck a perfect wreck. 

Nearly a hundred and fifty men had perished on each side. 

Captain Pearson now saw that all was lost, and with his own hands 
hauled down his flag, the men refusing to expose themselves to the fire 
of the Richard's tops. Lieutenant Richard Dale and Midshipman May- 
rant boarded the Englishman, followed by a large party of sailors. The 
confusion was so great that it was not generally known, at that moment, 
that the Serapis had surrendered, and Mayrant was run through the 
thigh with a boarding-pike. 

Lieutenant Dale found Captain Pearson on the quarterdeck. Salut- 
ing respectfully, he said : 

"I have orders to send you on the ship alongside." 

The first lieutenant of the Serapis coming up at that moment, asked: 
"Has the enemy struck her flag?'' 

Dale replied: 

"No, you have struck to us." 

Captain Pearson admitted that it was true, and he and his first lieu- 
tenant accompanied Mr. Dale on board the Richard, where Commodore 
Jones received the sword of his worthy foe. 

It is recorded that Pearson in handing his sword made some refer- 
ence to surrendering to a man with a halter hanging over his neck. If 
he did so Jones paid no attention to it, but with true magnanimity said: 

"Sir, you have fought like a hero; and I have no doubt that your sov- 
ereign will reward you in the most ample manner.*' The words of Jones 
were prophetic, for Pearson was knighted for his gallant conduct. When 
Commodore Jones heard of it he significantly remarked: 

. "He deserves it, and if he shall get another ship and I fall in with 
him, I will make a duke of him." 

Captain Heddart, Avho was a midshipman on board the Serapis, wrote 
a letter in 1824 to his grandson giving an account of the battle. Refer- 
ring to the condition of the Richard after the surrender of the Serapis 
he says: "I suppose Paul Jones was himself astonished when daylight 
showed the condition of his ship. I am sure we were. 

"His ship was still on fire. Ours had been a dozen times, but was 




CO.M.MUlHJKE WILLIAM l',AIM-;KII)C_,li 




COMMODORE JOHX BARRY 



COMMODORE JOHN BARRY. 21 

out. Wherever our main battery could hit him we had torn his ship 
to pieces — knocked in and knocked out the sides. 

"There was a complete breach from the mainmast to the stern. You 
could see the sky and sea through the old hulk anywhere. Indeed, the 
wonder was that the quarterdeck did not fall in. The ship was sinking 
fast and the pumps would not free her." 

In the National Museum at Washington has been recently placed 
the historical flag which flew from the masthead of the Richard during 
this remarkable conflict. It was the first American emblem which was 
ever saluted on the sea by a foreign nation. It has only twelve stars in 
the blue field, and was evidently made before Rhode Island ratified the 
Constitution. 

It is a priceless relic. The hero who fought beneath it with the in- 
trepid American seamen who then gave to the world the assurance that 
the American spirit was unconquerable, deserves the lasting gratitude 
of the nation. His enemies have called him a pirate and in other ways 
have striven to blight his fame. But in the light of all the facts which 
are now accessible to us he is revealed as one of the most devoted, cour- 
ageous, resourceful commanders the American navy has ever known, as 
full of patriotism to the Revolutionary cause as any name however dis- 
tinguished. 

The English government considered Jones a pirate and offered a 
reward of 10,000 pounds sterling for his head, dead or alive, a sum equal 
to nearly $100,000 of our present money. But no one ever received it. 

Commodore Jones died in Paris in the year 1792. His grave has been 
very recently discovered. 

COMMODORE JOHN BARRY. 

Commodore John Barry may be justly termed one of the fathers of 
the American navy. He was a man of high-toned magnanimity and in- 
genuousness of spirit which was so characteristic of many of our great 
seamen. He was an Irishman by birth and a Catholic in religion. He 
was born in the County of Wexford, in the year 1745. Having shown an 
early inclination for the sea he was placed on board a merchantman by 
his father when a mere lad, but in the intervals of his voyages acquii'ed a 
good practical education. 

When about fourteen years of age he reached America and deter- 
mined to make this country his home. He made several voyages to 
Europe for some of the merchants of Philadelphia, and finally was given 



22 SPLEXDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

the command of the Black Prince, a fine ship which was afterwards pur- 
chased by Congress as a vessel of war. He was assigned a place in the 
navy at the breaking out of the war of the Revolution and given the 
command of the brig Lexington, the second Continental vessel that 
sailed from Philadelphia. This vessel carried seventy men and sixteen 
guns. On the 17th of April, 1776, while cruising off the capes of Vir- 
ginia, he sighted the British vessel, Edward, a tender of the Liverpool, 
and engaged it in conflict. The action was a very close one and lasted 
for an hour. On both sides there was desperate fighting. The Lexing- 
ton had four of her crew killed and wounded, while the enemy sufifered 
a much greater loss. Commodore Barry had the signal honor of cap- 
turing the first vessel of war ever taken by a regular American cruiser 
in battle. 

He was then given the command of the Effingham, a new vessel 
which was being built at Philadelphia, and which was afterwards re- 
moved up the river, when the British fleet occupied that city. Barry 
planned a bold attack upon the enemy further down the stream, which 
he carried out with great determination and bravery. 

Having manned four boats at Burlington, in New Jersey, he rowed 
down the Delaware with muffled oars and surprised two British trans- 
ports and an armed schooner that were on their way from Rhode Island 
to Philadelphia. The transports were laden with forage and the schoon- 
er was well mounted with eight double four-pounders and twelve four- 
pound howitzers, and manned with thirty-three men. The transports 
had one six-pounder, and fourteen men each. Barry had a force of only 
twenty-eight men. He boarded the schooner and after a short contest 
forced it to capitulate and the transports with it. 

Barry was compelled, greatly to his disgust, to burn his prizes and 
escape by land, on account of the unexpected arrival of two British 
cruisers. The victory, however, was very cheering to Washington at this 
disheartening period of the war. He wrote Barry on March 12, 177S, 
saying: '*I congratulate you on the success which has crowned your gal- 
lantry and address in the late attack upon the enemy's ships, and al- 
though circumstances have prevented you from reaping the full benefit 
of your conquest, yet there is ample compensation in the degree of 
glory which you have acquired." These were words worthy of the Com- 
mander-in-Chief arid were balm to Barry's soul. 

Barry was now appointed to the command of the Raleigh, carrying 
thirty-two guns. He si\iled from Boston with a brig and sloop under 
convoy, on the 25th of September, 1778. When a few miles from laud, 



COMMODORE JOHN BARRY. 23 

two British ships, the Experiment carrying fifty guns, and the Unicorn 
with twenty-two guns, came in sight. 

They gave chase at once to the Kaleigh. 

Barry bent every effort to escape them, knowing the futility of any 
attempt to fight, but at the same time holding his vessel ready for 
action. 

His men were at quarters all night peering in the darkness for the 
enemy whom they knew to be in full pursuit. A hazy morning dawned, 
and in the distance the English ships were in view. A sec«nd anxious 
night passed with every man at his post. When day again came there 
were the British vessels forging steadily ahead. 

They were now off the coast of Maine, and had the wind continued 
the Raleigh would have been able to give her pursuers the slip, but it 
suddenly moderated. The Unicorn now came within fighting distance 
of the Raleigh and the battle began at five in the afternoon. 

At the second fire of the Unicorn, Barry's ship unfortunately lost her 
fore-topmast and mizzen top-gallantmast. This put her at a tremendous 
disadvantage in all her sailing manoeuvers. 

Barry attempted to board his antagonist and had he succeeded the 
result would have been far different. But the Unicorn with her advan- 
tages of canvas easily baffled the effort. 

The Experiment was in the meantime coming up to the help of her 
consort. Barry then saw that the contest was a hopeless one. Calling a 
council of his officers, he asked their opinion. It was determined to run 
the Raleigh aground on a rocky island called the Wooden Ball, some dis- 
tance from the mouth of the Penobscot River. Barry escaped with a 
portion of his crew, after many hardships, to the main land. A petty 
officer surrendered the ship. The Unicorn, which was much battered, 
lost ten men killed. The Raleigh had twenty-five killed and wounded. 

The skill and bravery of Barry were thoroughly appreciated by 
Washington and the country in spite of the loss of the frigate. 

In 1781 Barry succeeded the cowardly and probably insane Landais 
in the command of the Alliance, which carried thirty-two guns. On 
May 28 of that year Barry came in sight of the British sloop of war 
Atlanta, carrying sixteen guns and the brig Trepassy with fourteen 
guns. On account of the dead calm which prevailed when the ships 
came within fighting distance, the Alliance lay almost like a log in the 
water, with the two vessels of the enemy on her quarters and stern. 

In this position she could not bring her broadside to bear upon the 
foe. The British had all the advantage, raking the Alliance with grape 



24 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

and shot. At two o'clock, Barrv was carried below severely wounded 
in tbe shoulder. 

An unlucky shot carried away the fla<; of the Alliance. The enemy 
taking this as a token of surrender manned the shrouds and gave three 
tremendous cheers. 

"What is that cheering for?" asked Barry while his wound was being 
dressed in the cockpit. 

"Our flag has been shot away and the British think we have sur- 
rendered,'' was the answer. 

"Surrendered," cried tbe heroic commodore, "not by any means. 
Here, doctor," he said, "if the ship cannot be fought without my being 
on deck, I am going there at once." 

The determination of the heroic commander reanimated the crew. 
"No surrender, no surrender," they shouted. "Hoist the flag." 

The glorious banner of liberty was again run up. The wind suddenly 
freshened. The Alliance gained the desired position. Shot after shot 
was poured into the enemy's ships, and down came their ensign. 

Captain Edwards of the Atlanta came into the cabin w'here Barry 
was lying, and suffering greatly from pain. He presented his sword 
with a courteous remark. The commodore, rising as much as he was 
able, said : 

"Captain, you have fought nobly. You have done all that a gallant 
oflBcer of his majesty could do, in the struggle. Please keep your sword. 
I hope the king will give you hereafter a ship more worthy of your cour- 
age and skill." 

After rendering other services of importance to the country, Barry 
retired to private life at the close of the war. His good ship the Alliance 
followed her commander out of active service and was converted into a 
merchant ship, greatly to the general regret. 

In 1794, when the navy was reorganized, Barry was appointed to the 
command of the United States, a vessel carrying forty-two guns, and 
was employed in protecting the commerce of the country from French 
depredations, and in making various captures of privateers. He died on 
the 13th of September, 1803, in Philadelphia, at the age of tifty-eight. 

His character may be summed up in the memorable reply which he 
made to the solicitations of General Howe, to gain him over to the side 
of the English crown. He said: 

"I have devoted myself to the cause of my adopted country. Not the 
value and command of the whole British fleet can seduce me from it." 

Of such stuff were these glorious Revolutionary heroes made. 



A PLEA FOR THE NAVY. 25 

STEWART AND BAINBRIDGE PLEAD FOR THE NAVY. 

"You talk of going to war with England," sneered Josiah Quincy, 
in 1812. "Why, you have not resolution enough to meet the expenses 
of the little navy rotting here in the Potomac!" 

Such men as Judge Story, the profound expositor of the law, had 
not been blind to the glorious possibilities of the navy, if it could have 
the support of the government. In answer to a friend of the adminis- 
tration, who had spoken contemptuously of our sailors, he said: 

"I was born among these hardy sons of the ocean. I cannot doubt 
their courage or their skill. If Great Britain ever obtains possession 
of our present little navy, it will be at the expense of the best blood of 
that country. It will be a struggle that will call for more of her strength 
than she has ever exerted against a European foe." 

To Bainbridge and Stewart are largely due the nation's thanks that 
this tribute to the skill and courage of our brave sailors has never been 
undeserved. ' 

It is no doubt true that on the declaration of war, in 1812, the govern- 
ment entertained the project of laying up all the vessels in the harbors. 
Thus they were to be preserved and kept from falling into the hands 
of the enemy. 

Stewart and Bainbridge opposed this marvelous scheme with deter- 
mined energy. Their stubborn fight against such a cowardly policy was 
prophetic of their gallant deeds in the future. It happened that they 
were shown the orders to Commodore Rogers saying: 

"Do not leave New York. Keep the vessels in port for the defense 
of the harbor and the security of the vessels." 

At once they sought an interview with the Secretary of the Navy. 

He was impressed by their representations, and going to President 
Madison secured an interview for them at once. Mr. Madison listened 
with attention to the glowing defense these men made of the navy. 

"Eight times out of ten," said they, "with equal force, we can hardly 
fail. Our men are better men. They are better disciplined. Our mid- 
shipmen are not mere boys, only fit to carry orders. They are young 
men capable of reflection and action. Our guns are sighted, — an Amer- 
ican improvement of which the English are ignorant. We can fire our 
cannon with as accurate an aim as a man with a musket. The English 
must fire at random, without sight of their object or regard for the un- 
dulations of the sea. This sends their shots over our heads or far short 
of our hulls. 



26 SPLEXDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

"We may be captured. Probably we shall be, even after taking 
prizes from tliem, because their numbers are much greater than ours. 

"But, sir, the American flag will never be dishonored while in the 
custody of the American sailor. With equal force, it will seldom, if 
ever, be struck to any tlag that floats." 

The President not only listened but seemed persuaded. 

"The experiences of our navy in the Revolutionary war confirm your 
opinions," he said. 

The cabinet was called; but the members held to their former view. 
Still Bainbridge and Stewart were persistent. They would not aban- 
don their patriotic purpose. A well argued and emphatic letter was 
addressed to the President; their arguments were so convincing that 
he was induced to change the plan on his own responsibility. One of the 
cabinet officers gave a reluctant consent to the President's decision. He 
said: 

'"The ships will soon be taken and the government will thus be rid 
of the cost of maintaining them. This will give the country liberty to 
direct its energies to the army." 

The military men had the ascendency in the councils of the predom- 
inant party. So they aimed to secure for themselves all the expected 
glory of the war. 

The poor little navy was to have been ignominiously thrust aside. 
The ships were to be allowed to rot. The aspiring naval heroes were to 
remain in inaction. Fortunately this was not to be. In the end it was 
our little navy that, gaining a chance to show its worth, redeemed the 
country from the disgrace into which the politico-military leaders had 
at first plunged it. 

"You will give us victories, then, you think?" Madison asked Bain- 
bridge and Stewart, when they had finished their plea for a fair trial 
of American ships and sailors. 

"We do, sir, most confidently," was the unhesitating reply. 

They did as much as they promised, and more. They gave us victor- 
ies that the American historian records with pride, victories that thrill 
every American patriot at their recital. 

When war was declared, the vessels of the navy were not in a condi- 
tion to act with any degree of intelligent combination. The government 
had contemptuously disregarded its needs. The ships were scattered; 
some were laid up; some were being repaired; and others were too dis- 
tant to be of service. 



CHAPTER II. 

CAPTAIN STEPHEN DECATUR. 

Stephen Decatui* was a native of Maryland. Born January 5, 1779, 
he was still a young man of only thirty-two when the war of 1812 broke 
out. 

However, there were few, if any, in the American navy who had seen 
as much service as he. Certainly no one had won a more brilliant repu- 
tation. Unlike many others, who in those days won renown on the sea, 
Decatur was a thoroughbred naval officer. He had risen in the service 
from midshipman. Every opportunity had been presented for acquiring 
a knowledge of seamanship and the duties of a naval commander. 

While but a lieutenant he greatly distinguished himself in the war 
with Tripoli. The United States frigate Philadelphia had run ashore 
on the Barbary coast in 1804. In this helpless condition she fell into 
the hands of the treacherous piratical Tripolitans, who took her as a 
prize to Tripoli. 

The vessel was moored under the guns of the Pasha's castle. Within 
two cables' lengths on the starboard-quarter, lay two of the enemy's 
cruisers. 

In addition to this protection the Philadelphia's own guns were 
mounted and loaded ready to fire. Against such an array of force 
Decatur made his heroic attempt in a single ketch captured from the 
enemy, and manned with a crew of seventy men. 

Decatur quietly sailed into the fortified harbor at eleven o'clock at 
night. In the darkness he approached within two hundred yards of 
the Philadelphia. Then the enemy on board her bailed him. 

"Drop anchor, or you will be fired on." 

Decatur ordered his pilot, who was a Maltese, to say: 

"The ketch has lost her anchor in a gale on the coast and we cannot 
obey your command." 

The harbor was very calm, but by this time the ketch had floated 
within fifty yards of the Philadelphia. 

Decatur threw a rope to a small boat that had come along side his 
vessel. 

"Make this fast to the frigate's fore chains," he requested. 

27 



28 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

This was done, and the crew quickly warped the ketch alongside. 
The enemy now began to suspect the character of their visitors. 

In a moment Decatur and Midshipman Morris were over the rails 
and on board the Philadelphia. For several moments they stood there, 
unprotected by any of their own men. The Turks were utterly taken 
by surprise. They stood huddled on the quarter-deck, and, helpless from 
fear, offered little resistance to Decatur's crew, when they boarded and 
attacked them. 

Twenty of the enemy were killed on the deck. Many jumped over- 
board and were drowned. The rest fled into the hold. 

The fight had aroused the Tripolitans on the cruisers and in the 
castle. With a howl of rage they saw their prize about to be taken away. 
The guns of cruisers and batteries were then turned on the doomed 
Philadelphia. 

Decatur ordered the vessel to be set on fire. His command was 
obeyed. The wind had freshened, and the flames spread so rapidly that 
the sailors had great difficulty in getting the ketch clear of them. As 
the breeze was coming off shore in a few minutes Decatur and his men 
were well out of reach of the enemy's guns. 

Not a man was lost in this exploit, Decatur was the hero of the 
hour, and the rank of post-captain was not too great a reward for his 
courage and ability. 

He was now appointed to the command of three gunboats and a 
bomb vessel. These vessels Commodore Preble had obtained from the 
King of Naples, to co-operate with the American squadron in an attack 
on Tripoli. 

The gunboats were cut loose from the men-ofwar which had them in 
tow, and Decatur prepared to lead his division immediately into action. 

The enemy's gunboats presented a formidable line. They occupied 
a strong position across the mouth of the harbor. Behind them were 
the cruisers and land batteries, bristling with guns. 

The Tripolitans had stripped their boats of all sail. The hope of 
flight was taken away, and nothing remained but to fight or sink their 
vessels. 

Decatur was eager for the desperate struggle. Going along the 
line he gave each captain the same order: 

"Unship your bowsprit, and follow me. I am resolved to board the 
enemy." 

Lieutenant James Decatur had brought his boat from his own divi- 
sion and joined that of his brother. 




DECATUR'S CONFLICT WITH THE ALGERINES AT TRIPOLI REUBEN JONES INTERPOSING 
HIS HEAD TO SAVE THE LIFE OF HIS COMMANDER 




COMMODORE STEI'HEN' DECATUR 



CAPTAIN. STEPHEN DECATUR. 29 

The Captain now boldly took the lead. His boat was headed straight 
for the harbor entrance. 

As they came within range the enemy opened fire from their gun- 
boats, cruisers and batteries. 

Decatur returned the fire as he advanced. But he never turned a 
point from his course. With sail set he dashed his boat, full force, 
against the foremost of the enemy. Commodore Preble, on the Consti- 
tution, was dumfounded at Decatur's daring. He thought him rash, 
and ordered the signal for retreat. * 

No such signal could be found. 

Deliberate preparations had been made to cover every possible emer- 
gency that might arise; but American seamen had not thought of the 
possibility of retreat. 

There was a crew of forty men on the enemy's boat. Decatur's was 
manned by an equal number; but thirteen of them were Neapolitans, 

As the two boats touched, Decatur sprang over the rail. The Ameri- 
cans followed their dashing leader, with drawn knives and hangers. The 
timid Neapolitans remained behind. In less than ten minutes there 
were only dead Turks to be seen on the vessel. Those not killed either 
jumped overboard or hid in the hold. Only three Americans were 
wounded in the encounter. 

Decatur took his prize in tow and moved out of the harbor. He was 
met by the gunboat that had been commanded by his brother. The crew 
reported that they had captured a vessel of the enemy, but that Lieu- 
tenant Decatur had been treacherously shot by the Turkish commander 
after he had surrendered. In the confusion he had made oif with his 
boat and was now pushing for the harbor. 

Decatur's first and natural thought was of revenge. Without regard 
to prudence and oblivious of his own safety his one desire was to clutch 
the murderer. 

He turned his vessel in instant pursuit. With the one single gunboat 
he broke through the enemy's line and overhauled the flying Turk. With 
eleven Americans he sprang on board, and rushed for the object of his 
vengeance. 

A fierce struggle followed and for twenty minutes the issue was 
doubtful. 

One by one eight of the Americans were wounded. At last Decatur 
found the commander and engaged him in a hand to hand combat. The 
Turk was armed with a spear; Decatur with a cutlass. 

Both were experts in the use of their respective weapons. The Turk 
3 



30 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

made a lunge with his speiu- and Decatur swung his blade to cut off the 
point of his antagonist's spear, but falling on the hardened steel his 
cutlass broke at the hilt. The Turk followed up his advantage, thrust- 
ing again. The blow would have been mortal had not Decatur turned 
quickly and caught it on the right arm and breast. At the same instant 
he seized the spear and closed with his adversary. 

Thus locked they continued their desperate fight. 

The men rushed to aid their respective leaders. A burly Turk sneak- 
ing up behind Decatur had raised his sword to deal him a fatal stroke on 
the head. An American sailor saw the situation. Though wounded so 
badly that he could use neither hand, with heroic devotion, he inter- 
posed his own head and received the blow intended for his captain. 

The two commanders now sti'uggled with quickening breath. 
Decatur watched his chance and catching him fairly over his hip laid 
him, back down, upon the deck. 

The Turk drew a dagger and was about to plunge it into Decatur's 
body. Seeing the movement he caught his enemy's uplifted arm and, 
holding it securely', the next instant shot him with a pistol. 

The Tripolitan crew made no further resistance, and the captain 
sailed out of the harbor with his second prize. 

Such adventures had proved Decatur to be a man of daring tempei*. 
When the war of 1812 broke out his admirers, confident of his mettle, 
expected from him a triumphant cruise on his new command, the 
United States. 

Turning southward, he sought the track of British ^Yest India trad- 
ers. When he reached mid-ocean, some three hundred miles south of 
the Azores, the watch sang out: "A sail!'' 

Decatur soon made it out to be an English ship. He trimmed the 
sails of his vessel and stood off for the stranger. Both vessels seemed 
anxious for a fight and soon drew near each other. 

At the distance of a mile the enemy brought his guns into play, but 
to no effect. The United States replied with a broadside. 

The two vessels, at wide gun-shot distance, continued to tack-and- 
tack, exchanging shots as they passed and repassed. 

This sort of jday continued for an hour, during winch time the Eng- 
lishman was the greater sufferer. Finally a well placed shot struck his 
mizzenmast about ten feet from the deck and felled it with a crash over 
the quarter. 

"Jack," said a sailor to a chum, "we've made a brig of her." 

Decatur, who had overheard the remark, interposed: 



CAPTAIN STEPHEN DECATUR. 31 

"Take good aim next time, Jack, and you'll make her a sloop." 

The Englishman was so crippled that he tried to close. But the 
American poured a broadside into him with disastrous effect. The main 
topmasts went by the board. The mainyard hung useless and the sails 
and rigging were in tatters. Even the foremast was splintered and in 
danger of falling. 

The United States, after delivering this telling blow, tacked under 
a full mizzen-topsail. 

The enemy's vessel was unmanageable and drifted helplessly before 
the wind. Not realizing the condition of their own boat, and seeing the 
United States bearing off, the British thought she was running away, 
and sent up three hearty cheers. With premature triumph they ran up 
a flag on the rigging of the mainsail, the only place left to hang one. 

The United States, seeing the flag, closed up to renew the attack, but 
the Englishman soon pulled down his pennant and surrendered. 

Decatur brought bis vessel alongside the enemy and, hailing her as 
he passed, shouted: 

"What's your- name?" and "Do you surrender?" 

"The Macedonian," came the reply, "thirty-eight guns, Captain Car- 
den commanding. We strike." 

The boat was badly cut up. A hundred round shot had penetrated 
her hull alone, and sails, masts and rigging were all gone. Thii-ty-six 
men had been killed and sixty-eight wounded. 

The United States, on the other hand, had suffered but little. Only 
a few shot had entered her hull, and, in comparison with the Macedonian, 
she was not much injured aloft. The rigging had been cut, of course; 
one of her topgallant masts was gone, and some of the spars badly 
shattered. Her casualties were five killed and seven wounded. 

Though the American vessel had a little the advantage in size and 
armament, the boats were pretty evenly matched. The victory showed 
again the superiority of American gunners and seamen, and the exul- 
tation with which the triumph was hailed was fully justifiable. 

Decatur at once set about repairing the Macedonian. Her fore and 
main masts were braced, and a jury mast rigged up. In this way she 
was taken into Newport under her own sail, while the United States 
went on to New London. 

As soon as he dropped anchor, Decatur sent Lieutenant Hamilton, 
the son of the Secretary of the Navy, to Washington. With the 
dispatches he carried the captured flag of the Macedonian. 

Lieutenant Hamilton arrived in Washington at night. It was a pro- 



32 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

pitious moment. Secretary Hamilton was at a ball given in honor of 
the naval officers. All the dignitaries of the state and navy depart- 
ments were present, including President and Mrs. Madison, Commodores 
Hull and Stewart, and Secretary and Mrs. Ilamilton. 

The young lieutenant sought his father in the midst of all this gay 
assemblage. The room was filled with officials, distinguished veterans, 
<liguified matrons, grave senators, resplendent beautj', and aspiring 
fashion. 

With proud satisfaction Secretary Hamilton announced the joyful 
news. The fact that his son had borne a share in the triumph did not 
detract at all from his unbounded pleasure in Decatur's victory. 

The announcement was welcomed with a shout that made the hall 
resound. 

The soft strains of the music ceased; the dancers left the floor, and 
all crowded around young Hamilton. The lieutenant's mother rested 
proudly on his arm and listened to his story. 

The captured flag was brought in and Commodores Hull and Stewart 
spread it at Mrs. Hamilton's feet. 

Again the music sounded. The dancers took their places, and the 
festivities were stimulated by emotions of joy and patriotism. 

Decatur died in 1S20, at the age of forty-one, from a wound received 
at Bladensburg, in a duel with Commodore Barron. His untimely death 
was greatly regretted. 

CAPTAIN JACOB JONES. 

Scarcely had the first shout of triumph at Decatur's exploit died 
away, when news of another naval victory came to swell the tide of 
enthusiasm. 

Captain Jacob Jones was destined to show himself a commander fit 
to fill a place on America's roll of fame, high up on the list of her naval 
officers. He was twenty-nine years old when he began his career as 
midshipman. But his enthusiasm was as fresh as that of a boy. 

His previous life had been restless and changeful. 

From the farm in Delaware, on which he was born, he was sent to a 
classical school. Here ho industriously prepared himself for the pro- 
fession of a physician. He later entered the University of Pennsylvania 
and was graduated, in due time, as doctor of medicine. 

He opened an office in his native place, but a country doctor's life 
had no attraction for him and he soon accepted an appointment to the 
clerkship of the supreme court of Delaware, for Kent County. 



CAPTAIN JACOB JONES. 33 

This life was no more congenial to bis ambitious spirit than that 
of an obscure physician. Accordingly, when the opportunity came, in 
1799, he asked, and obtained, a midshipman's warrant. 

He entered upon his new life with so much zeal that he soon acquired 
a thorough knowledge of its duties, and laid the foundation for the posi- 
tion an able officer alone could fill. 

In 1804, Jones was a midshipman on board the Philadelphia. When 
that frigate fell into the hands of the pirates on the Barbary coast he 
suffered a long and cruel captivity of twenty months among that in- 
human people. 

His condition, and that of the rest of the crew, was nothing less than 
slavery under the Pasha of Tripoli. On their restoration to liberty Jones 
was made a lieutenant. By 1811 he had risen to the rank of captain and 
held the command of the sloop-of-war Wasp. 

In 1812, Captain Jones was sent to the courts of England and France 
to carry dispatches from the American government." 

While on his way back, war was declared with England. Nothing 
could have better pleased Captain Jones than such a state of affairs. He 
immediately refitted his vessel and started on a cruise. One small prize 
was his only capture. 

Shortly afterward he sailed again and the result was the memorable 
victory that placed him on the list of naval heroes. 

The Wasp carried a crew of one hundred and fifty men. She mounted 
sixteen thirty-two pound cannonades, and two long twelve-pounders. 

The vessel was beautifully modelled and one of the fastest ships in 
the American navy. From the Delaware river the Wasp held eastward 
to clear the coast and bring her on the track of British vessels sailing 
north. 

When she was three days out such a gale struck her that the jib- 
boom was carried away and two men who were on it at the time. Dur- 
ing the night the wind quieted but the sea continued rough all the 
next day. 

About the middle of the following night the watch reported a sail, 
then another and another. Captain Jones deferred an attack, however, 
until daylight should give him a clear view. 

The first break of light showed the vessels to be six English mer- 
chantmen. Four of these were under the convoy of the brig-of-war, 
Frolic. 

Jones resolved to give battle. 

The Englishman was a chivalrous adversary. He waived the aid 



34 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

of the merchantmen, shortening sail to let them pass, while he waited 
to do battle alone with the Wasp. 

The storm had left a heavy swell on the sea, and the weather was 
still boisterous. Casting an eye aloft Jones ordered : 

"Ship the topgallant-yards, and close-reef the topsails. Clear for 
action." 

At eleven o'clock the Frolic showed Spanish colors. The Wasp an- 
swered with the American ensign and pennant. 

At half past eleven the Wasp sailed down to windward of the enemy. 
When she was within sixty yards of the larboard side of the Frolic 
Jones hailed her. 

For reply the Englishman hauled down the Spanish colors and ran 
up the British ensign, at the same time firing with muskets and cannon. 

The Wasp was ready for the fray and answered the fire. The ves- 
sels drew nearer and nearer. The action became close, and the firing 
incessant. 

In a short time the Wasp had her maintopmast carried away. This, 
with the yard, fell across the larboard fore and foretopsail braces, mak- 
ing the head yards immanageable during the entire engagement. 

In another minute her gaff and mizzen-topgallant sail were shot 
away. 

But these misfortunes did not lessen the fire from her guns. 

The heavy swell of the sea made the Wasp roll frightfully, wallow- 
ing first to one side and then the other. Often the muzzles of the guns 
were plunged into the water and then lifted clear of the enemy's masts. 

The Americans fired as their vessel sank; the English as theirs rose 
on the waves. 

This placed every shot from the Wasp's guns either on the deck or 
in the hull of the Frolic, while the latter vessel sent her shots into 
the rigging of the Wasp or far over his head. 

The Wasp finally worked her way ahead of her antagonist, raking 
her from bows to stern. She then resumed her position on the lar- 
board bow of the Frolic. 

Captain Jones hoped that a raking fire would render boarding un- 
necessary. The sea was so rough that they could hardly grapple with- 
out endangering both vessels, but the Wasp was becoming unman- 
ageable. 

In a few minutes more all the braces of his ship were shot away 
and the sails and rigging so comjjletely cut to pieces that he feared 



CAPTAIN JACOB JONES. 35 

that the masts would go by the board and the Frolic be enabled to 
escape. 

In spite of the danger Jones now decided to board at once. 

"Wear ship, pilot," he said, "and bear down on the enemy." 

The Wasp struck the Frolic soundly and in the collision rubbed 
along her bow in such a way that the Englishman's jib-boom came be- 
tween the mizzen and main rigging of the Wasp, just over the heads 
of Captain Jones and First-Lieutenant Biddle. 

It was a splendid chance to rake the Frolic, and Jones withheld 
the order to board until he could throw another broadside. 

While they were loading, the two ships lay so close together that 
the men on the Wasp thrust their rammers against the Frolic's side. 
Two of the guns actually had their muzzles intruding through the 
enemy's bow-ports, and their fire swept the whole length of the deck. 

At this moment one of the sailors of the Wasp known as "Jack 
Lang," mounted a gun and, brandishing his cutlass, prepared to board 
the enemy. "Jack" had an old and a long score to settle with the Eng- 
lish, for he had been impressed at one time by one of their men-of-war. 

Captain Jones, wishing to fire a broadside before boarding, ordered 
the sailor down. It was too late; he was already on the Frolic's bow- 
sprit. 

His companions rushed forward to follow. Lieutenant Biddle, see- 
ing it was too late to check the movement, gave the order to board. 

As the lieutenant himself sprang on the enemy's bowsprit, his 
feet became entangled in the rigging. At the same time a midshipman, 
in his eagerness to follow, grabbed his coat tails and Biddle fell back 
on his own deck. 

With the agility of a cat the lieutenant -sprang to his feet, and as 
the next swell brought the vessels nearer made good his footing on the 
Frolic. "Jack" and another sailor were there before him. 

The three passed from the bowsprit along the forecastle without 
challenge. From stem to stern there was not a living man except the 
one at the wheel and three officers on the quarter-deck. 

As the men made their way aft along the deck they found it slip- 
pery with blood and strewn with the dead. At the quarter-deck the 
captain of the Frolic and the other two officers threw down their SAVords 
and made token of surrender of the ship. 

The colors were still flying. Not one of the British crew would 
venture aloft for fear of the musket bullets of the Wasp. 

Lieutenant Biddle, therefore, sprang into the rigging and himself 



36 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

lowered the British ensign. The engagement had lasted just forty- 
three minutes. 

The Frolic was in a frightful condition. 

Only a small proportion of the crew had escaped death or wounds. 
The berth-deck was a veritable slaughter-pen; the dead, wounded and 
dying were mingled in close confusion. 

Captain Jones humanely sent his surgeon's mate aboard to care for 
the wounded. Blankets were brought from the Frolic's slop-room to 
add to the comfort of the suffering. 

Everything was in confusion on deck, and to cap the climax the 
Frolic's two masts fell, covering the dead and wounded. This last 
chapter of misfortunes left the British vessel a complete and helpless 
wreck. 

It had been an equal match. The Frolic had four more guns than 
the Wasp; but the latter had the larger crew. 

The Frolic was only a brig, to be sure; but she was quite as large 
as her three-masted antagonist. To judge by the result the Wasp had 
far out-fought the Englishman. 

The Wasp was badly cut up in her rigging. The hull, however, was 
hardly touched, and her loss was but five killed and five wounded. 

Owing to the American method of firing, the Frolic had been hulled 
at every shot. The crew had consequently been almost completely in- 
capacitated or killed, and the vessel was badly damaged. 

Out of a crew of one hundred and twenty, there were not a score of 
sound men at the close of the fight. 

But who can predict the fortunes of war? Captain Jones had caught 
sight of another sail to windward. The dead were hastily committed 
to the deep; the wounded housed; and Lieutenant Biddle transferred 
to the Frolic, to repair her as best he could and take her to port, if 
possible. 

Jones, with the Wasp, set off to windward to pursue his cruise. The 
stranger bore down with all sail set, right for the Frolic. Lieutenant 
Biddle at first thought her to be one of the British convoy returning 
to capture the disabled prize. 

Guns were loaded and preparations made to receive the stranger. 
The vessel, however, turned out to be the Poictiers, a British ship of 
seventy-four guns, under command of Captain Beresford. As he came 
up he fired a gun over the Frolic's bows and then passed on in pursuit 
of the Wasp. 

Captain Jones did his best to get away. But his sails had been 



CAPTAIN JACOB JONES. 37 

torn into shreds and progress was very slow. The big ship Poictiers 
bore down and soon overtook the Wasp, which lowered her colors to 
such an over-powering foe. 

The Poictiers took her prize and the re-captured Frolic and sailed 
away with them to Bermuda. 

When Captain Jones gained his liberty he returned to the United 
States. His misfortune had in no way detracted from his brilliant 
victory. 

A generous and gratified people acknowledged his gallantry by reso- 
lutions of eulogy, demonstrations, and gifts of gilded swords. 



CHAPTER 111. 

CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL. 

This distinguished naval commander was born at Derby, in Connec- 
ticut, March 9, 1773. When the American navy was established he was 
given a lieutenant's commission and was a brave participant in the at- 
tack on Tripoli in 1805. On the breaking out of the war of 1812 he was 
made captain and given the command of the Constitution. 

On July 12th, 1812, Captain Dull sailed the Constitution out of the 
harbor at Annapolis. On the 17th, while moving under easy sail the 
watch reported a vessel; then another, and another — five in all! 

The meaning was evident. It was a fleet bearing down in company. 

Captain Hull, standing on the quarter-deck with glass in hand could 
make out one, at least, to be a man-of-war. It soon proved to be the 
Guerriere, of thirty-eight guns. 

The wind was light, but Hull determined to speak her if possible. 

"Spread every stick of sail," ordered the commander. ''Beat to 
quarters and clear the deck for action!" 

But the gentle southerly breeze hardly filled the sails. The two 
vessels continued to slowly approach each other till ten o'clock at night, 
then the Constitution shortened sail and raised her signal lights. 

No response came. The Constitution waited an hour and then low- 
ered her lights. The sails were again spread. The wind, however, was 
so very light that little progress was made during the night. 

Just as the morning watch was sounding the Guerriere sent up a 
rocket. This was followed by the discharge of two guns. 

All night Hull had been eagerly on the lookout. Now, as the day 
dawned he discovered that seven sails had closed in on him during the 
darkness. 

From each masthead floated the English ensign. It was the fleet 
under Captain Broke that had been hovering about the coast and that 
had captured, besides other craft, the little Nautilus. 

The mists of the summer morning cleared away. The sun came out 
clear and bright, disclosing the position and movements of the enemy. 

On Hull's lee quarter were two frigates. Astern were the rest 

38 



CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL. 39 

of the squadron. All were doing their best to overhaul the Constitu- 
tion, and the nearest had reached almost within gunshot. 

There was now a dead calm. The sails hung limp from the yards. 
Not a breath rippled the calm surface of the sea. There was only the 
gentle and regular rise and fall that proclaims the ocean in repose. 

Hull, howevei', was all action. His Yankee wit was equal to the 
occasion. 

He was not going to sit down and let this combination of the enemy 
take him without a struggle. He resolved to put forth every effort to 
save his vessel. 

"Lower the boats! Make fast the lines and tow for your lives!"' he 
ordered. 

Not satisfied with this he ordered the guns from the spar-deck and 
forecastle to be run aft. Two twenty-four pounders were even thrust 
through the cabin windows to serve as stern-firers. 

The Shannon was the nearest of the enemy astern. She had fol- 
lowed the example of the Constitution and had her boats out towing. 
The breeze, too, seemed to favor her a little, and she slowly gained on 
the American. 

The British crew were elated over their progress. Running out a 
couple of bow-chasers they blazed away, but the shots fell short. 

This could not be so long. The Shannon was gaining every minute 
and must soon come in range. 

Hull was equal to the new emergency. His skill was as great as 
his bravery. Calling an officer he said: 

"Collect all the rope aboard that is not in use. Attach it to the 
kedge-anchors and run them out in the boats as far as the rope will 
stretch." 

When the signal announced that the kedge was out Captain Hull 
gave the command: 

"Heave away!" 

All hands laid hold of the rope. Their bodies swung in unison to 
the sailors', "Heave, ho," and the proud ship began to move again. 

Kedge after kedge was run out. The Constitution gained percept- 
ibly on her pursuer and the British were kept guessing at the cause 
of the apparent mystery. 

Finally the secret was discovered and they set themselves to profit 
by the Yankee's example. 

They began to kedge with considerable success. At nine o'clock 
the Shannon had got almost within range again. If she once brought 



40 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

her bow-chasors to bear it -was feared that she might cripple the Con- 
stitution so that she would fall a helpless victim to the squadron. 

Hull and his crew were still hopeful. Resolutely and coolly they 
prepared to meet even the last extremity. Everything was made ready 
to extend the enemy a warm reception with the stern-guns and keep 
out of the way of the rest of the squadron if possible. 

While the Shannon closed in astern the Guerriere was approaching 
from the starboard quarter. 

Not a breath of air came to help the weary sailors. Only the swell- 
ing tide beat ominously against the sides of the vessel, portending im- 
pending destruction. 

It was a critical moment! 

In another hour the final struggle must come unless a change took 
place. Every one of the brave men on board did his whole duty. All 
were resolutely determined to save the noble Constitution if human 
effort could do it. 

From the deck an eager watch was kept on the pursuing enemy. 
The oarsmen in the two boats pulled manfully at the oars. The strain 
on nerve and muscle was terrific. The exhausting labor and ceaseless 
watching had worn out the crew. Oflicers and men relieved each other 
alternately at duty. When their relief came the former threw them- 
selves on deck to catch a little rest and the men slept by their guns. 

"All hands!" suddenly piped the bugler. 

A change had come — a wind! 

Gratefully each man gasped for the slight breath of air as if, in 
very truth, his own life depended upon it. 

Even the enemy admired the handsome way this advantage was im- 
proved. As the breeze was seen coming the sails were trimmed. In 
a moment more the ship was under command and hauled close to the 
wind on the larboard tack. 

All possible canvas was spread. Davits were run up; others lifted 
just clear of the water by purchases on the outboard spars, ready to 
be used at a moment's notice. 

When the ship came by the wind it placed the Guerriere nearly on 
her lee beam. The frigate opened fire with her broadsides. 

The shot fell just short of their mark. In spite of the fusillade the 
men on the Constitution hoisted away on their boats as coolly and 
steadily as if they were in a friendly port. The exhausted oarsmen had 
but a short respite. 



CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL. 41 

In less than an hour the wind died away again, almost to a dead 
calm. 

Once again the boats were lowered. Two thousand gallons of water 
were pumped out to help lighten the ship and every possible sail that 
would draw was set to catch the last whisperings of the dying breeze. 

The Shannon now had almost all the boats of her consorts to help 
her tow, and once more she began to gain on the American vessel. 

The Yankee tars, however, made up for lack of numbers by the de- 
termination of their efforts. Doggedly they pulled at the oars, from 
which they were only occasionally relieved by a slight breath of wind. 
Every puff was skilfully taken advantage of by the officers on the deck. 

Nevertheless, in spite of their bravest efforts, the enemy continued 
to gain. Slowly the day wore away and at evening several of the ene- 
my's ships were within range. They opened with their bow-chasers 
and the Constitution responded with her stern-guns. 

Neither side, however, inflicted any damage. 

Thus with towing and kedging and occasional cannonading the 
weary and anxious hours passed by. At eleven o'clock at night a light 
breeze from the south again tilled the sails. Quickly the boats dropped 
along side, hooked on and were run up. The topgallant sails were 
set, and the boat gathered headway, while the tired crew thankfully 
sought a much needed rest. 

In an hour the breeze again died away. The doleful flapping of 
the sails against the spars had a sad foreboding. But as the enemy 
had ceased their efforts the crew were not aroused till break of day. 

When morning fairly came the kedges and boats were out again. 
A fresh breeze soon dispensed with all other aid and the ship stood off 
under her own sail. 

The sun, ou that summer day, shone aown on a brilliant scene. 

The sea was as smooth as if it had been a lake. The breeze, though 
slight, was strong enough to fill the sails and relieve the sailors from 
the wearisome towing and kedging that had tried their very souls. 

An American merchantman that had just come in sight made the 
twelfth sail that at that moment was in view of a single observer. 
From their trucks to the water the vessels were a cloud of canvas. 

The Constitution led them all and was the proudest of the lot, and, 
now that she had a fair chance, was giving an exhibition of her sailing 
qualities. One by one her relentless pursuers dropped far behind. 

The nearest frigate, the Belvidera, was two and a half miles astern. 

At noon the wind freshened. The good ship Constitution sprang 



42 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

gallantly to her work. Kothing that skilful handling could do to aug- 
ment her speed was omitted. 

By afternoon she had four miles the lead of the Belvidera, and the 
remainder of the squadron were out of the race. Though the wind lulled 
toward evening, nothing was gained by the enemy. 

When night fell the sky foretold a squall, Avith heavy wind and rain. 

With a relentless enemy in pursuit, there was not a moment to spare. 
Captain Hull resolved to carrj' all his canvas to the very last. 

To this end the crew were stationed at the ropes. All was made 
fast. The good ship moved eagerly through the water as if conscious 
of the skill that guided her and unmindful of the coming danger. 

The vigilant commander was on the alert. 

With one eye on the enemj^'s squadron he watched the dai'kening 
horizon with the other. As the storm gathered and advanced he waited 
till its black wings almost fluttered over his ship and she began to 
tremble as if from dread of approaching fate. 

A single word wrested her from the impending danger. 

Just before the storm struck the ship the captain calmly turned to 
his lieutenant. 

"All ready now. Lieutenant, clew up and clew down." 

In an incredibly short time all the light canvas was furled. A dou- 
ble reef was taken in the mizzen topsail and the ship brought under 
short sail. 

The enemy had been less daring. Discretion had prompted them to 
be in good time for the squall and all had been made snug before it 
came. Thus the Constitution, by a stroke of bold seamanship, had 
gained a good distance from her pursuers. 

The British squadron steered wildly here and there to escape the 
effects of the storm. But the daring Yankee captain waited only for 
the crest of the gale to pass: then, hoisting again the fore and maintop- 
gallant sails, he fled from the enemy on an easy bowline at the rate of 
eleven knots an hour. 

When the weather cleared the enemy were almost lost to view. 
There was little chance now that the Constitution would be overtaken. 
However, the pursuing squadron did not give up the chase until the 
next morning. Captain Hull continued northward and anchored in the 
harbor of Boston. 

For three days and nights the Constitution had run for her life from 
a powerful squadron containing some of the fastest ships in the serv- 
ice of Great Britain and commanded by her ablest captains. 



CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL. 43 

Her escape can only be attributed to the consummate skill of Cap- 
tain Hull and his officers, and the tireless energy of the crew. The 
glory that they won was no greater than their achievement and perse- 
verance deserved. 

Captain Hull came honestly by his seamanship. His father was a 
sailor before him. Before our hero entered the navy he had risen from 
the forecastle to the quarter-deck of a merchantman. 

As a lieutenant and captain, therefore, in his country's service, he 
had nothing to learn in sailing a ship, and the skilful handling of a 
vessel might naturally have been expected of him. 

He was yet to show himself as skilful a fighter as he had proved 
himself a navigator. 

Captain Hull did not linger long in Boston. The flatteries he re- 
ceived, on the accomplishment of his famous exploit, were not to his 
taste. 

With manly modesty he said to his admiring friends: 

"You are good enough to give me more credit than I ought to claim. 
I beg of you to transfer your good wishes to Lieutenant Morris and 
the other brave officers, and the crew under my command, for their 
very great exertions and prompt attention to my orders while the 
enemy were in chase."' 

Such were the words of a generous hearted sailor. Proudly con- 
scious of his capacity to do great deeds and earn a deserving fame, his 
heart was big enough to give freely of his wealth of honor to those 
to whom honor was due. 

From Boston the Constitution cruised northward along the coast 
and off the mouth of the St. Lawrence. About two o'clock on the 
19th of August the lookout from the masthead reported: 

''A sail to leeward!" 

A little later he announced: 

"A frigate, sir, flying the British flag.'' 

With all sail the Constitution at once made chase. 

The English vessel had no intention of flying. Her main topsail 
was laid back and she coolly awaited the encounter. 

When Hull saw that there was no need for a chase he furled some 
of his light canvas. This checked the vessel's headway, and he began 
to prepare for action. 

In quick succession the orders were issued: 

"Reef the topsails! Send down the royal yards! Clear the decks! 
Sound the bugle to quarters!'' 



44 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

At five o'clock all was ready and the enemy was near enough to 
open fire with her long-range guns. Hoisting three English ensigns 
she let go a heavy broadside. At the same time her commander tried 
to wear and handle his ship so as to rake the Constitution. 

Captain Hull showed himself the better seaman. 

In a moment he saw the intention and defeated the manoeuver. One 
gun — just to show his readiness — was all the reply he made to the open- 
ing broadside. 

He was holding his fire until he could get the Constitution so 
close in that his guns would tell with the fullest effect. 

Again the Englishman gallantly showed his willingness to fight 
even yard-arm to yard-arm. Promptly bearing up he ran off under 
three topsails and a jib, keeping the wind on his lee-quarter. 

A close fight was what Hull was striving for and he at once ac- 
cepted the Englishman's challenge. Sail was made and the Consti- 
tution bore up toward her deadly antagonist. 

At six o'clock the two combatants were within half pistol-shot. Hull 
now opened with a heavy fire from all his guns. Each charge was dou- 
ble shotted with round and grape. 

The Americans' fire was rapid and deadly. In sixteen minutes the 
enemy's mizzen-mast had been shot away and it fell by the board. 

The Constitution now moved slowly ahead. As she passed she threw 
a terrible hail of shot into her adversary, then luffed short about the 
Englishman's bows, to avoid being raked. 

In executing this movement the two vessels fouled. The enemy's 
guns almost touched the Constitution's stern and poured in such a 
close and hot fire that the cabin was soon in flames. 

However, the lads with the water buckets soon had this under con- 
trol. 

When the vessels touched both captains made ready to board. Tne 
marines in the tops began to use their muskets with great havoc; but 
the British, on account of the loss of their mizzen-mast suffered the 
most heavily. 

Lieutenant Morris was shot quite seriously through the body whil? 
trying to lash the vessels together. Fortunately it was not a mortal 
one. 

Captain Aylwin, the able sailing master, and Lieutenant Bush, of 
the marines, were both shot off the taffrail of the Constitution. They 
were standing there ready to spring upon the enemy's deck and lead 
the boarders. 




NAVAL HERUES IN' THE SPAXISH-A.MERICAX WAR 




COMMODORE DAVID E. FARRAGUT 



CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL. 45 

Captain Aylwin was only wounded in the shoulder; but Lieutenant 
Bush had a musket ball through his head and died almost instantly. 

The fire on both sides was so hot that neither party found it pos- 
sible to board. There was, besides, a heavy swell which made the sail- 
ors' footing insecure. 

Accordingly it was with mutual consent that the two vessels filled 
their sails and worked clear of each other. As the Constitution drew 
off, the foremast of the enemy was cut off and fell, carrying with it 
the mainmast. 

The English vessel was now a helpless wreck rolling in the trough 
of the sea. 

The Constitution had also suffered much damage and she drew off 
temporarily to repair. When she returned, the enemy's flag was still 
floating, lashed to the stump of the mizzen-mast. As the Constitution 
prepared to give a last broadside to her victim, the colors were taken 
down. 

The captured vessel turned out to be the Guerriere, Captain Dacres 
commanding. This gallant officer had been very anxious to meet Hull 
in combat. He had even so expressed himself by writing an invitation 
to that purport on the register of a merchantman that he had fallen 
in with. Now his wish had been fully gratified. 

The Guerriere was an absolute wreck. Her masts were gone, her 
hull riddled and four feet of water stood in the hold. She was of no 
value as a prize and was therefore set on fire and abandoned. 

The Americans had seven killed and seven wounded. The sails and 
rigging were badly cut, but the British fire went so high that little in- 
jury had been done the hull. With a few repairs she was ready for 
another fight, even after this desperate engagement. 

The Guerriere had seventy-nine men killed or "wounded, a third of 
her entire crew. The engagement occurred off the Massachusetts coast 
and lasted about thirty minutes. 

Captain Hull said of his crew: 

"They all fought with great bravery. It gives me pleasure to say 
that, from the smallest boy on the ship to the oldest seaman, not a 
look of fear was seen. They all went into action giving three cheers 
and requesting to be laid close alongside the enemy.'' 

Again the Constitution came to anchor in Boston harbor. The vic- 
torious Hull landed amid the triumphant acclamations of his country- 
men. Just two weeks previous General Hull, his uncle, had disgrace- 
fully surrendered at Detroit. 

4 



46 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

The despondent mutterings of the nation suddenly turned into a 
full-voiced outburst of joy. The people turned from scorn to pride in 
their little navy and its triumph over the one-time mistress of the seas. 

Again American sailors had met, and fought, and conquered a ves- 
sel of the English navy! 

It is true that the Constitution was the larger boat. She carried 
heavier guns and was better manned; but the contest was verj- nearly 
equal. At any rate the victory was so decided as to prove conclusively 
that American seamanship and courage had nothing to fear from Brit- 
ish ships. 

Captain Dacres had been confident in the superiority of the English 
navy. It was this confidence that had made him eager to meet an 
American vessel and finally got him into conflict with Captain Hull 
and the Constitution. 

For many weeks he had been flaunting his flag at the entrance of 
American harbors. At his masthead he had hoisted a banner with 
the significant words: 

"^ot the Little Belt!" 

This was an insulting allusion to the collision of the frigate Presi- 
dent with the small boat by that name in May of the preceding year. 

Confidently he had sailed the Guerriere into battle. She had been 
skilfully handled. Her officers had acted gallantly and her crew had 
fought bravely. She had the encouraging prestige of years of British 
naval superiority. Yet the English frigate had been vanquished and 
absolutely demolished by an American antagonist. 

The reverse was an awful blow! 

The American naval officers, true to their promise, had begun to give 
their country encouraging victories. 



CHAPTER IV. 

COMMODORE WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. 

Commodore William Bainbridge is another of the naval heroes whom 
Americans delight to honor. His gallant conduct and enthusiastic 
patriotism contributed largely to the victories over England and the 
growth of the navy. 

He was born in Princeton, New Jersey, on the 7th of May, 1774. 
His family was of distinguished origin and traced its descent from Sir 
Arthur Bainbridge, of England. .As a boy he enjoyed all the social 
privileges and advantages a youth could ask. 

He was naturally daring and enterprising. His active tempera- 
ment and love of athletics made him chafe under the restraints and 
discipline necessary for a liberal education. 

His father was a successful physician, and would have preferred 
his son to follow in his footsteps. But the boy longed for a life on 
the sea. At the age of fifteen, by persistent importunity, he gained 
his parents' consent to leave home. 

At that day there was no American navy. Young Bainbridge, ac- 
cord ingh-, entered the merchant service. 

He had found his right place and rose rapidly. Before he was nine- 
teen he had obtained comniaud of a shi^i! 

Even at that early age he gave evidence that he was cut out for a 
navigator. The dauntless courage and unflinching resolution of his 
maturer manhood were already conspicuous. 

He had been appointed master of the ship Hope, of Philadelphia. 
On one occasion, while she was lying in the Garonne, on the west coast 
of France, the captain of another American vessel hailed him. 

":?end me some of your men to help put down a mutiny," he re- 
quested. 

Bainbridge hurried to the rescue in person. When the leaders of 
the mutiny saw his courageous face and commanding mien they were 
cowed into instant submission. 

At another time he was taking his ship Hope to the West Indian 
Islands. A British privateer, armed with eight guns and thirty men, 
coming down befcre the wind, began an attack. 

4T 



48 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

The Hope bad four nine pound guns and a crew of eleven men. 

The stranger flew no colors as she opened the attack; but when the 
Hope returned her fire with all four guns, she ran up the English flag. 
Evidently her captain expected to frighten the Americans with this dis- 
play of bunting. 

Bainbridge, however, was not disturbed. The guns were kept at 
work. The aim was accurate and the fire persistent. Every shot was 
making itself felt among the men and on the vessel. Finally the priva- 
teer was forced to lower her flag. 

The Hope could not legally take possession of her prize. Neither 
did Bainbridge wish to show his weakness by boarding her. 

He, therefore, hailed the commander and delivered this message: 

"Go and tell your owners if they want to take the Hope they will 
have to send someone beside you to take her." 

On the same voyage the Hope was brought to by a shot across her 
bows from the English man-of-war Indefatigable, commanded by Sir 
Edward Pellew. A press-gang boarded her and seizing the first-mate 
on the strength of his Scotch name of Allan McKinsey, said: 

"Come with us. You are a Scotchman and a British subject." 

McKinsey was, however, a native of Philadelphia, and drawing a 
cutlass, began to defend himself against the outrage. 

The leader of the gang left him alone and pouncing on one of the 
other sailors as a substitute bore him off. The man protested that he 
was an American and his word was confirmed by the Captain; but to 
no i)urpose. 

As the English lieutenant left the deck Bainbridge solemnly swore 
to him: 

"If I catch an English vessel I shall take a sailor out of her to fill 
the place of the man you have wrongfully snatched from my ship." 

Within a week Bainbridge had made good his vow. 

Meeting an English merchantman, at least the size and strength of 
the Hope, he seized one of the sailors. Taking him on board the Hope 
as one of the crew, he carried him into port. 

Men of such stuff were wanted in the American navy. Accordingly 
when it was organized, in 1798, the application of Bainbridge for a 
commission was readily granted. 

He was made lieutenant-commander of the cruiser Retaliation. This 
boat had been the French privateer La Coyatte, which had been cap- 
tured by the Delaware, under Captain Stephen Decatur, the father of 
the celebrated commodore. 



COMMODORE WILLIAM BALNBRIDGE. 49 

America was at this time at war with France. On his very first 
cruise Bainbridge was unfortunate enough to fall in with a large French 
fleet. He was obliged to strike his colors and was made prisoner, but 
was soon released. 

When again he returned to the United States he was made master 
commander of the Norfolk, a brig of eighteen guns. While on this 
vessel he won considerable distinction as a skilful navigator. 

As he was convoying more than one hundred American traders out 
of St. Kitts, the Norfolk, with her fleet, was surprised by a large French 
frigate. 

It was foolish to offer battle with his little brig! 

Bainbridge, therefore, signaled his convoy to scatter. He then set 
the Norfolk to occupy the attention of the frigate. A chase ensued 
and the Frenchman was led far out of the course of the merchantmen. 

The skilful captain kept the Norfolk just out of gunshot until night 
came on. Then the pursuer was quietly given the slip. The Norfolk 
again spread all canvas and overtook her charges. 

Not a single vessel out of the one hundred was missing when the 
Norfolk came into port. 

Another successful voyage, this time to the W^est Indies, earned 
Bainbridge the rank of captain. 

W^ith his advancement came a transfer to the George Washington, 
a former East Indianman. 

Bainbridge was commissioned to carry the tribute to the Dey of 
Algiers. This tribute, the United States, in common with the other 
great nations, paid the monarch of that nation of pirates, to buy im- 
munity for our vessels from robberj-, murder and slavery. 

It was an ignoble service. But Bainbridge executed his commis- 
sion discreetly, and his manly conduct brought him added honor. 

The George Washington was the first vessel of the new American 
navy to carry the nation's flag into the Mediterranean. 

Perhaps because of this the Dey of Algiers thought to put a humilia- 
tion on the vessel and crew. When the tribute was delivered to the 
inordinate ruler, he demanded another service of Bainbridge. 

This monarch of pirates had tribute to pay himself. 

He had incurred the ill will of the Sultan of Turkey, who demanded 
of the Algerian ruler a half million in gold, slaves, goods and wild 
beasts. 

This cargo of variously assorted merchandise the Dey had the 



50 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

effrontery to ask Bainbridge to take on board and carry to Constanti- 
nople. 

Bainbridgo protested. 

The Dev stormed and fumed. 

The George Washing-ton's captain had his choice. He could either 
go or suffer capture and slavery in Algiers. 

Bainbridge at last yielded his convictions of duty, but only at the 
insistence of the American consul. He assured the captain that the 
service asked of him was not only usual, but necessary to the protec- 
tion of American trade. 

The George Washington finally sailed. Her decks presented a 
strange appearance. There were caged tigers, lions and other beasts. 
Throngs of Turks crowded the decks and Nubian slaves filled the hold. 

It was humiliating beyond measure to Captain Bainbridge that a 
United States war vessel, designed to uphold the honor of the flag, 
should be degraded to such a service. Despite the disgrace his sense 
of humor was hourly aroused by the novelty of the situation. 

Often, on his return, he made himself the center of an eager circle 
of listeners, who would roar with laughter at his accounts of that mem- 
orable voyage. 

"The Mohammedans, you know," he would say, "pray pretty nearly 
all day, and all night too. Well, we used to keep them guessing to 
keep their pious faces toward Mecca. Every time the ship tacked there 
would be a grand shuffle to get in position. Finally they stationed 
one of the devout at the compass to give the faithful due notice when 
ft was necessary to 'go about' with the ship." 

When the George Washington reached the Straits of Dardanelles 
Bainbridge was afraid of being detained as he had no passport. Ac- 
cordingly he concluded to slip by the forts. 

As if preparing to anchor he ordered: 

"Top-men aloft! Clew up the sails! Lieutenant, dampen the powder 
and fire the salute!" 

Gun for gun was returned from the works, raising clouds of smoke. 
Shielded by this screen Bainbridge hoisted all sail. The frigate took 
the wind and at racing speed swept out of range of fort and castle. 
The captain then sailed his vessel quietly over the Sea of Marmora and 
anchored under the walls of Constantin()])le. 

It was some time before the astonished Turk realized what had hap- 
pened and still longer before he found out how it happened. 



COMMODORE WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. 51 

An oflQcer of the frigate was sent to report to the Turkish govern- 
ment. 

'•The United States frigate, George Washington," he said, "com- 
manded by Captain Bainbridge, awaits your orders!" 

"We know of no such country as the United States," came the reply. 

"The New World, then, which Columbus discovered," the officer ex- 
plained. 

This seemed to enlighten the Sultan and his court and the usual 
tokens of amity, a lamb and bunch of flowers, were sent on board. 

Bainbridge, with his great physique and courtly bearing, created a 
great impression at Constantinople. 

The Sultan's brother-in-law took an especial liking to him and fre- 
quently entertained him. 

They became so intimate that the Pasha confided to Bainbridge the 
fact that the governor of the castles, at the straits, was about to lose 
his sleepy head for letting the George Washington pass without a per- 
mit. 

Bainbridge was shocked. He at once shouldered the blame, and, 
through the influence of his distinguished host, prevailed upon the Sul- 
tan to spare the governor's life. 

The hospitality of the Turks was handsomely returned by Bain- 
bridge on board the George Washington. Even in this respect the 
reputation of the New World did not suffer in the hands of the Ameri- 
can captain. 

Bainbridge prolonged his stay in Constantinople to several weeks. 
On January 20th, 1801, the George Washington returned and let go 
her anchor off the Algerian town. This time she lay out of range of 
cannon shot. 

The crafty old Dey said to Bainbridge: 

"I fear for the safety of your ship. You would better bring her 
within the mole." 

"I thank you; no!" firmly replied Bainbridge. 

But his Algerian majesty was too sharp for the American. The 
George Washington had on board some borrowed cannon. These could 
not be safely removed without replacing them with ballast. 

The despot refused to let this be brought outside and Bainbridge 
was forced to bring his vessel in. 

Again the George Washington was in the Dey's power! He asked 
that the vessel should return to Constantinople to carry his ambassa- 
dor. 



52 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Bainbridge gave an emphatic, "No!" 

The enraged ruler stormed and threatened. Death or slavery was 
the alternative. 

The lives of the American ofiBcers and crew were at the mercy of 
the barbarian; but Bainbridge was determined not to yield. Fortu- 
nately he bethought him of a letter of protection from his Turkish friend, 
the Sultan's brother-in-law, which he displayed before the tyrant's gaze. 

The effect was magical! 

From a raging bull the tyrant was changed to a fawning, servile 
vassal. 

Not another word was heard about sending the George Washington 
to Constantinople. His friendship with the Turkish Pasha had inspired 
the Dey with amazing respect for Bainbridge. His servility even went 
so far that some Frenchmen condemned to slavery were pardoned at 
the American's request. 

Later these men were landed by Bainbridge at Alicant; an act of 
magnanimity that was heightened by the fact that France and Amer- 
ica were then at war. 

Bainbridge now returned home. His oriental exploits had won for 
him the esteem and confidence of the American people and government. 
As a partial reward he was appointed to command the Essex, a fri- 
gate of thirty-two guns. 

He reported at once to Commodore Dale and joined his squadron, 
then under orders to sail for the Mediterranean. For a year the Essex 
performed good service in helping check the piratical raids of the cor- 
sairs of the Pasha of Tripoli. He then returned home. 

In 1803 Bainbridge was appointed to the command of the Philadel- 
phia, a frigate of thirty-eight guns. He joined the squadron under 
Commodore Preble and again sailed for the Mediterranean. 

Each vessel sailed separately, as it was made ready for sea. The 
Philadelphia entered the Straits of Gibraltar and soon captured a Mo- 
rocco cruiser. She then sailed for Tripoli. 

Here she ran aground while chasing a pirate vessel and was taken 
possession of by the barbarians. 

For a year and seven months Captain Bainbridge and his crew suf- 
fered the horrors of captivity and slavery. One night through the 
cracks of their prison walls they saw the sky lighted up by the flames 
of the Philadelphia. The blaze told of the success of young Decatur's 
daring exploit. 

Again, on the 1st of August, 1804, the weary prisoners beheld from 



'COMMODORE WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. 53 

their windows the gathering of a fleet. The glorious Stars and Stripes 
floated from every masthead. It betokened a long-delayed revenge for 
the oft-repeated wrongs and insults of the Tripolitans. 

The fleet stood boldly in for the harbor. Within its protection lay 
a horde of corsairs manned by the insolent sea-robbers. 

It was an intensely exciting moment for these American spectators. 
Their country's boats had never looked so beautiful before. The hardy 
sailors had never seemed to handle their craft with such skill. 

Their eyes were strained to see the flash of guns that momentarily 
lighted the gathering clouds of smoke, while their ears were quick to 
catch the thunder of cannon. They chafed more than ever before under 
the restraint that kept them, at that moment, from the decks where 
their brave shipmates were fighting. 

Louder grew the din of battle; more lurid the smoke. 

The conflict was at its height! 

Shot fell thick and fast. Now and then a shell threw the spray 
high up on the walls of their rock-built prison. 

In the midst of the mingled roar of Turkish batteries and cruisers, 
and American broadsides, the wind rolled back the cloud of smoke for 
just a moment. Through the rift appeared the glorious frigate Consti- 
tution. Her banner flew proudly aloft and the men in the tops gath- 
ered in the sail as coolly as if she were coming to anchor in her native 
harbor. 

They saw, too, the heroic Decatur, as he broke the line of Turkish 
gunboats. On he went past corsairs and castle batteries to avenge the 
murder of his brother and his country's wrongs. 

The view was too imperfect for Bainbridge and his companions to 
tell how the day was going, nor did their captors take the pains to 
inform them. 

For four weeks the prisoners lay in ignorance, then they were 
aroused at night by the firing of guns. 

Once more they sprang to their watch by the windows. 

The cannon ceased. Here and there a little speck of light shone 
out of the darkness, as of a ship's lantern swinging with the gentle 
swell of the sea. 

Then for a moment the night seemed to pass away. Sky, sea, and 
castle were illuminated by a flash of light that brought men, guns and 
batteries into view with awful distinctness. 

Darkness was accompanied by the sound of an explosion that shook 



54 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

tower and castle and caused the ships to reel and pull at their anchors. 
Every heart stood still with fear. 

In a moment all was over! 

Silence ruled the night. 

The darkness was the pall which great Nature spread over the gal- 
lant Somers and his crew. 

The Intrepid had exploded while making an attack on the enemy. 
Not a man was left to tell the history of the catastrophe. 

Knowing the daring of her heroic commander, Somers' friends were 
firm in their belief that he fired the magazine of his own vessel to pre- 
vent her from falling into the hands of his overpowering foe. 

The attack resulted in the restoration of the prisoners and a cessa- 
tion of piratical raids on American commerce. 

Captain Baiubridge now returned to America. In his youth he had 
married a beautiful girl, the daughter of a governor of one of the West 
Indian Islands. Their union had been blest by several children, and 
he found it difficult to care for this growing family on a salary of six 
hundred dollars a year. lie therefore sought to improve his fortune. 

He asked and obtained a leave of absence. During this vacation he 
made several trips in the merchant service. They proved remunerative 
and he continued in the service until he heard of the declaration of war 
with England in June, 1S12. 

Hurrying to Washington he at once presented himself for duty. By 
his energy and patriotism, in coujunt-tion with Commodore Stewart, he 
succeeded in arousing the naval department from a timid and disgrace- 
ful lethargy. 

He confidently promised the government victories. Now he was 
ready and anxious to fulfil his pledge. 

His words were effective, and he was appointed to command the 
Constellation. In a few weeks, to his satisfaction, he was transferred 
to the Constitution. The gallant Hull was sated with victory and had 
generously offered to give up this vessel out of consideration for his 
fellow commanders. 

Bainbridge was now a commodore, and in command of a squadron. 
It was a proud moment for him when he hoisted his broad pennant on 
board the Constitution, determined to justify the confidence of his coun- 
trymen. 

Besides the Constitution he had in his squadron the Essex, of thirty- 
two guns, under Captain David Porter, and the sloop Hornet, of eigh- 
teen guns, under Captain James Lawrence. Accompanied by these ves- 



COMMODORE WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. 55 

sels the commodore set sail for a cruise in the south Atlantic in search 
of English East Indianmen. 

The Constitution and Hornet sailed in company. The Essex was 
refitting and Bainbridge ordered her to join them on the coast of South 
America. She, however, missed the meeting place, and became involved 
in a series of memorable adventures. 

In due course of time the Constitution and Hornet arrived off San 
Salvador. 

The Hornet entered the harbor. There she found the British cruiser, 
La Bonne Citoyenne, lying at anchor. Lawrence could not attack in 
a neutral harbor; but he at once sent an officer to Captain Green to 
say: 

"Captain Lawrence will await you on the high sea to settle, by force 
of arms, which is the superior vessel. And, though ours is the smaller 
boat, he pledges his word that neither the Constitution nor any other 
American boat shall interfere."' 

Captain Green declined the chivalrous challenge, declaring: 

"Though I'm satisfied that the result of such an encounter would be 
favorable to iny ship, I'm equally convinced that Commodore Bainbridge 
cannot swerve so much from the paramount duty that he owes his coun- 
try as to become an inactive spectator and see Lis ship, belonging to 
a squadron under his command, fall into the hands of an enemy." 

Commodore Bainbridge promptly removed the Englishman's anxiety 
by sailing away. The Hornet was now left alone. 

Still Captain Green declined the daring challenge. The fact was 
he had on board a large amount of specie entrusted to his keeping, 
which he did not v.ish to endanger. However, he gave out the insult- 
ing excuse that he distrusted the word of Bainbridge and Lawrence. 

The Constitution sailed down the coast to the southward, while her 
consort lay off San Salvador keeping the La Bonne Citoyonne blockaded 
for a month. 

When three days out the watch on the Constitution sang out: 

"Two sail, in shore and to windward.'' 

One turned her course toward the shore; the other toward the Con- 
stitution. From this it seemed evident that the latter was an enemy's 
frigate, closing in fur action. 

Bainbridge was confident of his ship, officers, and crew. Almost 
every man on board bad shared Hull's victory over the Guerriere. 
With him on the quarter-deck Avere the old officers. Porter, Shubrick 



56 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

and Hoffman. Her old master, Alwyn, still sailed the ship, and now 
sent her speeding to the encounter. 

It was a quarter of eleven as the Constitution tacked to the north- 
west and stood toward the approaching frigate. 

In a few minutes the sailing master addressed the pilot. 

"Put her round to east by south." And to the sailors he said: 

"Up aloft! Haul up the mainsail. Take in her royal-yards." 

In half an hour he set them again to draw off the stranger from 
the coast and increase the distance between her and her companion. 

At noon the Constitution again took in her mainsail and royals. 
The ensign and pennant went up and she stood dead ahead for the 
enemy. 

The stranger answered with the English colors. She was bearing 
down in position to rake; but the Commodore sang out to the pilot: 

"Wear ship." 

The Constitution came handsomely around out of danger. 

The Englishman was now only a half mile to windward. No colors, 
except the union-jack flying at the mizzen-top, could be seen. 

Calling the captain of the forward gun crew, Bainbridge said: 

"Let go a solid shot over the stranger's bows and see if she won't 
shake out some more colors." 

The shot was understood. Up went the proper bunting and the 
Constitution welcomed it with a broadside. 

The enemy returned her broadside. The action was now on. Round 
shot and grape poured in from each vessel, gun answering gun and 
both tacking to rake and avoid being raked. 

Bainbridge crowded up on the enemy; but she warily retreated at 
each advance. 

In the very first exchange of shots Bainbridge had been wounded 
in the hip. The next round sent a shot that tore away the Constitu- 
tion's wheel and sent a copper bolt flying into his thigh. The gallant 
commodore did not stop for either wound. 

The wheel was a serious loss. The enemy was the better sailer in 
the light wind and she kept on the alert to get a chance to rake. With 
the wheel gone it kept the Constitution's crew busy to avoid the enemy's 
purpose. 

Bainbridge soon wearied of this fatiguing maneuvering. 

"Rake or no rake," he said, "I'm going to close. Set the fore and 
main sails, Alwyn, and luff up close." 

The enemy now found himself hard pressed and suffering from the 



COMMODORE WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. 57 

nearer fire. He attempted to run the Constitution aboard, but in the 
on-set ran his jib-boom foul of the Constitution's mizzen-rigging. 

It was only a short advantage to the Englishman. The American 
guns shot away the bowsprit and foremast and the boats worked clear 
of each other. 

The English vessel now suffered severely. The maintopmast fell: 
then the spanker-boom. A little later over went the mizzen-mast. 

At four o'clock the enemy's fire was silenced. The colors in the 
main rigging were down, and, says Bainbridge, "we supposed she had 
struck. We then shot ahead to repair our rigging, which was badly 
cut, leaving the enemy a complete wreck. 

"We soon discovered the enemy's flag was still flying. 

"After twenty minutes we wore ship and stood again for the enemy. 
Getting close and in an effectual raking position we were about to 
fire, when the enemy prudently struck her flag." 

The Constitution came out of the battle comparatively little injured. 
Her rigging was cut and sails slit; but every mast and spar was in its 
place, and her royal yard intact. 

What a contrast to the enemy! 

Inch by inch every stick had been shot away till only stumps re- 
mained. 

When the enemy lowered her colors Commodore Bainbridge sent an 
officer to receive her surrender. The vessel was the Java, carrying for- 
ty-nine guns and four hundred men. 

The loss of life, from officers to midshipmen, had been terrific. The 
English themselves reported a hundred and twenty-four casualties. 
Captain Lambert had been mortally wounded. 

On board the Java were Lieutenant-General Hislop and staff, on 
their way to India. They were transferred to the Constitution. Bain- 
bridge received them with that characteristic courtesy and kindness 
which always marks the conduct of the generous conqueror. 

The Java was a total wreck. Officers and crew were at once put 
on the Constitution; the wheel removed to replace the one that had 
been torn away; and then the ill fated frigate was blown up. 

The Constitution's loss was nine killed and twenty-five wounded. 
Among the dead was the gallant Alwyn, who for his skill as a sailing- 
master in the battle with the Guerriere, had been given a lieutenantcy. 

The wounds of Commodore Bainbridge were serious and threatened 
lockjaw. But he insisted on remaining on deck that night until eleven 



58 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

o'clock, busily engaged in looking after bis ship and the comfort of the 
wounded and suffering. 

This prolonged fatigue and action irritated and inflamed the ugly 
wound made by the copper bolt. Fever set in and the Commodore's life 
hung in the balance. A strong constitution and skilful surgery finally 
triumphed. 

Bainbridge put back at once for San Salvador. Here the courteous 
and magnanimous Commodore returned Captain Lambert's sword. 

The Englishman was on a cot, on the quarterdeck of the Constitution. 

Still suffering from his injuries and supported by two officers, Bain- 
bridge approached him. Handing the dying captain the sword he had 
so valiantly carried, but which he would never wield again, he said: 

"Captain Lambert, I regret the misfortune that has overtaken you. 
I return 3'our sword in token of your gallant conduct, and hope for your 
verj' speedy recovery. It was, sir, a hard-fought battle, and you did 
honor to your flag and country.'' 

Feebly Captain Lambert grasped his swoi'd. With a faint smile he 
welcomed this generous recognition of a fallen foe. 

In a few hours the brave Englishman expired, but the balm of human 
fellowship that had been poured on his heart by the few words from 
Bainbridge cheered his last sad moments. 

The consideration that General Ilislop and his men had received at 
the hands of Bainbridge was acknowledged by the gift of a handsome 
sword. 

Lieutenant Chadd, who was next in command, when Lambert was 
wounded, wrote t(j the British government: 

"I cannot conclude this letter without expressing my gratified ac- 
knowledgment thus publicly for the generous treatment Captain Lam- 
bert and his officers have experienced from his gallant enemy, Commo- 
dore Bainbridge and his officers." 

Admiral Jarvis declared of Bainbridge: 

"His deportment towards his prisoners resembles the proud bearing 
of a grandee of Spain, in the days of her chivalry. This trait of national 
character, which indicates so much of future greatness, gives me, as an 
Englishman, much uneasiness and apprehension." 

Bainbridge now hastened home for repairs and reached Boston Feb- 
ruary 27, 181.3. 

The victor was welcomed with acclamations of praise. He was ap- 
pointed to the command of the navy yard at Charlestown. Here the spv- 
entv-four-gun ship Independence was building, on which Bainbridge 



CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 59 

hoped gome day to fly his broad pennant and win new laurels on the sea. 

The war closed before the Independence went into service. Bain- 
bridge made two uneventful trips to the Mediterranean and retired to 
shore duty. He served successively as head of the Board of Naval Com- 
missioners, and commander of the navy yards at Philadelphia and 
Charlestown, Mass. 

He died at Philadelpnia, July 28, 1833, at the age of fifty-nine. 

In the delirium of his last moments, he rose and called for his arms. 

"All hands stand by to board the enemy," he said, as the memory of 
by-gone scenes came back. But in a moment more he was forced to 
strike to the common conqueror of all men — Death. The hero was at 
last vanquished. 

CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 

James Lawrence Avas a native of New Jersey. He was born at Bur- 
lington the 1st of October, 1781. 

His father designed that he should practice law. Accordingly he 
devoted two years of his early manhood to the study of this profession, 
but its pursuit proved uncongenial. 

When the lad was but twelve years of age he had expressed a desire 
for the sea, and now, when the dull technicalities of law had thoroughly 
disgusted him, he turned again, with reawakened longings, to his boyish 
fancy for the adventurous life of a sailor. 

So intense was his distaste for Blackstone and his ilk, that he was 
allowed to indulge his nautical longings. Three months were spent 
under the tuition of Mr. Grisconib, of Burlington acquiring the princi- 
ples of navigation and naval tactics. 

At the age of sixteen he obtained a warrant as a midshipman in rhe 
navy, and went on a cruise to the West Indies, in the ship Ganges. This, 
and subsequent voyages, inured the young midshipman to the hardships 
of the sea and acquainted him with his duties. 

Correctness of deportment and suavity of manner won the esteem of 
his associates. When war was declared against Tripoli, in 1801, the 
midshipman Lawrence was made a lieutenant, and was appointed to 
command the schooner Enterprise. While serving in this capacity he 
attracted the eye of Decatur. He soon became first lieutenant under 
the great commander, and when a brave and unflinching officer was 
wanted to undertake the burning of the frigate Philadelphia, in the 
harbor of Tripoli, Lawrence was detailed for the hazardous enterprise. 



60 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

As he watched the spirited and successful exploit, Decatur re- 
marked : 

"There is no more dodge about him than about the mainmast." 

Two months' extra pay was the extent of the reward voted by Con- 
gress for the gallant service Lawrence had rendered. It was too paltry 
to accept. His sense of patriotism and justice was insulted and he 
indignantly declined the reward. 

With sturdy devotion to duty, he nevertheless continued to serve his 
flag. The consciousness of the paramount claims of his country was 
never obscured by the meager generosity of its government. His faith 
in the final award of fame was unshaken. 

Lawrence served three and a half years in the Mediterranean, — the 
early training school for American naval officers. After a brief visit 
to the United States he was again dispatched to the same station, in 
command of a gunboat, where he remained for sixteen months. 

Every opportunity for service was improved. With experience came 
advancement. He served successively as first lieutenant of the Consti- 
tution, commander of the Vixen, Wasp and Argus. 

In 1808 he was married to Miss Montaudevert, of New York. This 
was a most happy incident of his life. He showed his deep love by the 
tenderest kindness and affection for his wife. 

When war with England broke out, in 1812, Lawrence was placed in 
command of the Hornet. With his vessel he joined the squadron which 
sailed on the first cruise under Commodore Rogers. 

When Lawrence returned he found that Lieutenant Morris, who had 
gallantly seconded Hull, in the victorious struggle with the Guerriere, 
had been promoted to a post-captaincy over himself and other senior 
officers. 

Stung by such unjust preference Lawrence addressed a memorial to 
the Senate and a letter to the Secretary of the Navy respectfully pro- 
testing against such promotion, contrary to the rules of naval prece- 
dence, and declaring: 

"If I am thus to be unjustly outranked, I shall be obliged, though re- 
luctantly, to abandon the service." 

This brought forth a short, cold-blooded note from the Secretary. 
That functionary, with bitter curtness, remarked : 

"If you think proper to leave the service without a cause, there will 
still remain heroes and patriots to support the honor of the flag." 

The laconic severity of this reply was calculated to cut a man of 
Lawrence's sensitive feeling to the heart. His remonstrance had been 




COMMODORE JAMES LAWRENCE 




X 



CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. CI 

just and candid and should not have provoked such an unfeeling reply. 

Fortunately, before it was delivered, Lawrence had sailed on that 
memorable cruise with Commodore Bainbridge, who, with the Consti- 
tution, conquered the Java. Lawrence, though failing to provoke the 
Citoyenne to battle, fell in with the Peacock, on the way home, and won 
the second famous victory. 

When he reached home he was welcomed by a wave of popular ap- 
plause that bore him at once to fame. This swept away all unpleasant- 
ness with the Navy Department. 

In addition to the generous feeling of the public the Senate had con- 
ferred the rank of Post-Captain on Lawrence during his absence. Soon 
after his return he was offered the command of the Constitution, pro- 
vided Captains Evans and Porter, who were senior officers, did not 
object. 

Such a condition was promptly objected to by Lawrence, and the 
appointment was then made without qualification. What was his sur- 
prise next day to find that he had been suddenly transferred to the com- 
mand of the ill-fated Chesapeake. 

Captain Lawrence was disappointed at the change. The Chesapeake 
was considered the worst vessel in the navy and had been under the ban 
of the sailors' superstition ever since her inglorious collision with the 
Leopard in ISOS. Lawrence theref(»re wrote the Secretary of the Navy 
that he would prefer to remain in command of the Hornet. 

Besides the consideration of the character of the vessel, Captain Law- 
rence had been absent most of the time since his marriage, and an im- 
pending domestic event induced him to desire to remain a few months 
longer on shore. 

No consideration was given his repeated letters to the Secretary. 
Under the circumstances he felt obliged to take command of the Chesa- 
peake and reluctantly he proceeded to fit and man her for service. 

The unlucky ship lay in Boston roads, nearly ready for sea, when, 
on June 1st, 1813, the British frigate Shannon appeared in the bay. 

The gallant Englishman, Captain Broke, had contemplated with bit- 
ter disappointment, the repeated triumphs of American ships. He had 
diligently studied the causes. He hoped, with true British patriotism, 
to restore the ancient naval glory of his country. 

Experience had taught him the superiority of the American gunners. 
To cope with them he had devoted several j^ears to the training of his 
own sailors by target practice. 

With a picked and carefully trained crew he now entered Boston 



62 SPLENDID DEEDS OX SEA AXD LAXD. 

Harbor. Signals were run up expressive of a challenge to the Chesa- 
peake. 

Even before this Captain Broke had written a letter to Lawrence, 
saying: 

"As the Chesapeake appears to be now ready for sea, I request you 
will do me the favor to meet the Shannon with her, ship to ship, to try 
the fortunes of our respective flags. 

"All interruption shall be provided against. I entreat you, sir, not 
to imagine that I am urged by mere personal vanity to the wish of 
meeting the Chesapeake. We have both nobler motives. 

"You will feel it as a compliment, if I say that the result of our meet- 
ing may be the most grateful service I can render to my country; and I 
doubt not that you, equally confident of success, will feel convinced that 
it is only by repeated triumphs, in even combat, that you can console 
your country for the loss of that trade it can no longer protect. 

"Favor me with a speedy reply. We are short of prorisions and 
water, and cannot remain here long." 

Without hesitation the brave and impetuous Lawrence accepted the 
challenge. 

The Chesapeake's regular crew fell short of its full complement. En- 
trained landsmen took the places of sailors and marines at the last mo- 
ment. The regular crew were almost mutinous because they had not yet 
been paid the prize money due them from the previous voyage. Mauy of 
these men were foreigners, lead by a boatswain's mate, an ill-natured 
Portuguese. 

Under ordinary circumstances, discipline would have called for in- 
stant punishment. But Lawrence was bent on battle. He was forced to 
waive the usually prompt administration of justice, and pacify the men 
by temporizing with them. 

Everything on board was confusion. The captain had himself joined 
the vessel only a few days before. His first lieutenant was ill on shore; 
while young Ludlow, acting first lieutenant, was an inexperienced, but 
promising ofiicer. 

In order to fill out the officers' list two men from the midshipman's 
rank were obliged to serve as third and fourth lieutenants. 

On June 1st the Chesapeake lifted her anchor. A gentle breeze from 
the southwest filled out her sails, and she stood off to meet her antag- 
onist. The Shannon with flying colors was moving back and forth with 
defiant air just off the harbor. 



CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 63 

The day was fine. Crowds gathered on the green heights of Boston 
overlooking the bay. 

The young boys climbed into the trees. Men and women stood in 
groups in the shade. Eager patriots were perched upon the housetops. 
Sailors climbed the masts and sat in the rigging. All eyes were intent 
on the impending duel. 

The harbor itself was thronged with boats. Their innumerable sails 
■,vere widely spread and fairly whitened the bay. 

Triumph after triumph had taught the Americans to expect victory. 
They believed their ships were invincible. Each spectator therefore 
watched the approach of the deadly encounter with confident expecta- 
tion of success. Lawrence alone was distrustful. As he trod the deck of 
his unlucky vessel amid an incompetent and mutinous crew he felt no 
faith in anything except his own dauntless spirit. 

As the ships approached he ordered the white flag run up, on which 
was the motto: 

"Free trade and sailors' rights." 

In a manly way he reminded his men of their duty. A murmur of 
discontent was their reply. The Portuguese boatswain was emboldened 
to insolence by the situation. Acting as spokesman for the crew he com- 
plained that the men had not been paid their prize money. 

Again there was no time for punishment. Forcing down his wrath, 
Captain Lawrence turned to the purser and said: 

"Take the men below and give each the order for his prize money.'' 

Thus they went to battle, the crew feeling insolent and independ- 
ent, the commander distrustful of an obedience momentarily won only 
by concession. 

On the Shannon all was enthusiasm. The captain had known every 
man on board for years. Each one looked on him as a friend, and thus 
there was perfect unanimity of feeling. 

In place of a murmur of discontent, Broke's words to the crew were 
answered with a responsive spirit. 

Cheer upon cheer followed his harangue. "Men, I know you will do 
your duty." 

As the Chesapeake bore down the Shannon stood off under easy sail. 
A shot fired by Captain Lawrence soon brought her to. 

It was now about four o'clock. The two vessels Avere within gun- 
shot. The decks were cleared for action, but neither side opened fire. 

Lawrence resolved at once to close with the Shannon and fight it out 



G4 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

at close quarters. The Chesapeake, under full topsail and jib, was fast 
overhauling the enemy, who was waiting under reefed topsail. 

As the two boats began to overlap the Shannon opened fire. She 
started with her cabin guns first, following with the rest on the star- 
board side in succession as the Chesapeake moved along. 

Lawrence, on the other hand, held his fire till every gun bore well 
upon the enemy. Then he delivered a terrible broadside. Ship fired into 
ship without ceasing for six or eight minutes. The effect was murderous 
on both sides. 

Unluckily, as the Chesapeake was passing and receiving the first fire 
of her antagonist she had her foretopsail-tie and jib sheet shot away. At 
the same time her spanker brails were loosened and her sail flew out. 

To add to the misfortune the sailing master was shot dead. A mo- 
ment later the fourth lieutenant was mortally wounded. 

Captain Lawrence himself was wounded in the leg by a ball. Prop- 
ping himself against the companion way he continued to give his orders. 
His deliberation and coolness were superb. 

The man at the wheel fell dead. Then another; then a third. 

The injury to her sails, the loss of the sailing master and the rapid 
fatality of the men at the wheel made the Chesapeake almost unman- 
ageable. She backed and got sternway. This brought her foul of the 
Shannon, whose anchor fluke at the same moment caught in the Chesa- 
peake's rigging. 

"Order the boarders to stand by," commanded Lawrence, when he 
saw his ship was foul of the Shannon. 

But the negro bugleman was nowhere to be found. When at last he 
was routed out from below the stern of the launch-boat on deck, he was 
too scared to be of any use. Ilis trembling lips refused to sound a note. 

"Pass the word below for the boarders to stand by I'' cried Lawrence. 

He had scarcely uttered the command when he was again shot with 
a musket ball; this time through the body. 

All this time the Chesapeake lay close and fast to her enemy. The 
Shannon \<.o])t up a raking fire that swept the Chesapeake's upper deck. 

The American sailors were without a commander. The cannonading 
was terrific and the slaughter so awful that the men could no longer 
serve the guns. No one was able to act in the emergency. Above and 
below confusion reigned. 

Cajitain Broke took advantage of the situation and gave the order 
1() board the enemy. As he himself, leading the men, sprang on the deck 
of the Chesapeake her wounded commander was being carried away. 



CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE. 65 

Looking for the last time ou Lis flag still flying he cried with heroic 
determination: 

"Don't give up the ship!" 

His appeal fell on deaf ears. The Englishman found few to resist 
him. As the boarders came pouring over the stern the mutinous boat- 
swain cried out: 

"So much for not paying the men their prize money!" 
' Two or three of the young olUcers Avho were left nobly called to the 
men to rally on the forecastle. A few responded. A last but vain stand 
was made by the little band. 

The enemy continued to throng over the rail. There was no one on 
deck to longer oppose them, and they hauled down the American colors. 
In another moment the British flag floated in its place. 

The firing ceased. Lawrence was conscious of the sudden silence. 
For a moment he forgot his agonies and said to the surgeon: 

"Go quick! Tell them on deck to fight till the last and not to strike 
the colors, for they shall wave while I live!" 

It was too late! 

Young Ludlow, mortally wounded by a saber cut on the head, was the 
only ofiicer on deck. Finding further resistance futile, he gave up the 
ship. 

The havoc had been fearful. Forty-eight men lay dead on the Chesa- 
peake and ninety-eight wounded. On the Shannon twenty-three were 
killed and fifty-six wounded. 

Both ships immediately set sail for Halifax. Captain Lawrence and 
his first lieutenant lay in the wardroom of their vessel, where they had 
been carried. Both expired soon after reaching Halifax. "Wrapped in 
their country's flag, which they had given their lives to defend, they 
were buried with militarj- honors by the British seamen. 

Lawrence was a man of noble stature and fine personal appearance. 
He was a gentleman and a tyi)ical American sailor and dearly beloved by 
his friends. 

He was quick and impetuous in his feelings, but in all critical situa- 
tions his coolness was remarkable. 

His death mainly secured the victory for the British, for had he lived 
he would have stood by the sentiment of his dying words: 

"Don't give up the ship!" 

Sixteen of his thirty-two years had been spent in the service of his 
country, and his supreme devotion to her interests was gratefully re- 
membered bv the nation. 



CHAPTER V. 

COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 

As McDonough is the hero of Lake Champlain, so is Oliver Hazard 
Perry the hero of Lake Erie. He was born at South Kingston, Rhode 
Island, on the shore of Narragansett Bay, August 21st, 1785. 

Young Oliver loved the sea from his earliest childhood, and his long- 
ing for a sailor's life may be considered as one of inheritance and en- 
vironment. At the age of fourteen he was given a midshipman's war- 
rant to serve on the small frigate, the General Greene. This ves.sel had 
been constructed by the elder Perry, who had served as a privateersman 
during the Revolutionary war. 

By successive .steps Oliver rose to the command of the squadron on 
Lake Erie, whose conflict with the British vessels was to immortalize 
his name. 

The American fleet was at Middle Sister, fifteen miles from Maiden, 
where the British fleet was at anchor. Word was brought to Perry that 
the enemy Avas about to sail out of Maiden. They were anxious to re- 
open communication with the depot at Long Point, even if they had to 
fight Perry to do it. 

The American fleet repaired to Put-in-Bay to prepare for the com- 
ing struggle. 

Perry was Iceen for the attack. 

He had made every preparation for the contest. Calling the com- 
manding officers by signal to the Lawrence, in a few words he gave 
them their final instructions. He then unfolded a blue flag, on which 
was the inscription: 

"Don't give up the ship!" 

"This,'' said he, "is the signal for action.'' 

As the officers were about to leave, he said: 

"It is my intention to bring the enemy to close quarters from the 
first, and I cannot advise you better than in the words of Lonl Nelson: 

"If you lay your enemy close alongside, you cannot be out of your 
place." 

As soon as the approach of the British was reported, Perry ordered 
the signal raised: 

66 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 67 

"Get under way." 

In a few minutes every vessel had its sail stretched and was beating 
out of the harbor against a light head wind. 

Perry's object was to sail to the windward of the islands that inter- 
posed between the now approaching fleets. This would give him the 
important advantage of the weather-gage to bear down upon the enemy. 

The wind, however, was very light and shifting. No headway was 
gained by the incessant tacking and at nine o'clock Perry's patience was 
exhausted. 

Going to his sailing master he said: 

"Mr. Taylor, wear ship, and run to the leeward of the islands!" 

"Then we'll have to engage the enemy from the leeward !" objected 
the captain. 

"I don't cai-e — to windward or to leeward they shall fight to-day!" 
replied Perry. 

The signal was run up: 

"Wear ship." 

But when the manoeuver was taking place the wind shifted. Quickly 
the signal was changed and the fleet bore clear of the islands on the 
weather-gage. 

The day was beautifully clear. It was one of the most brilliant of 
autumn days. The waters of the lake reflected the flecks of cloud that 
floated here and there, and the wind blew lightly from the southeast. 

At ten o'clock the British fleet hove to in close order, and waited 
for the American vessels. Their newly painted hulls and red ensigns 
floating made a gallant show. 

The English had six vessels mounting sixty-three guns in all. These 
vessels were manned by five hundred and two men. 

The commander-in-chief. Captain Barclay, hoisted his flag from the 
new ship Detroit. He was a veteran oflicer and had fought with Nelson 
at Trafalgar. 

Friend and foe knew him to be a man of skill and courage. 

His second in command was Captain Finnis, on board the Queen 
Charlotte. He was also an officer of experience and acknowledged 
courage. 

Commodore Barclay had formed his fleet in a compact line. The 
Chippewa was in the lead, and his own boat, Detroit, came next. These 
were followed by the Hunter, Queen Charlotte, Lady Prevost, and Little 
Belt. 

Under a light breeze and full canvas the American fleet sailed gently 



1)8 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

down the smooth waters of the lake to meet her foe. The order for 
attack had been arranged beforehand. 

The enemy had drawn up differently than Perry expected, and he 
accordingly changed his order. With his flagship, Lawrence, he passed 
ahead of the 2i«iagara, which was to have led the attack. This change 
gave Perry the Detroit as his antagonist. 

It was a consistent and chivalrous change, and characteristic of the 
man. The original idea was for the Lawrence to fight the most formid- 
able antagonist, and he stuck to the plan. 

Perry had nine vessels, three more than the British, but they mounted 
only fifty-four guns. 

Only the Lawrence and Niagara could be regarded as men-of-war. 

The others were small, slightly built, and without bulw arks. One 
was a brig, one a sloop, and the rest were schooners. 

These boats were officered and manned by a total of four hundred 
and ninety men. A good portion of these were able seamen, but a trifle 
miscellaneous in origin and color. Unfortunately, a number were in-- 
capacitated for duty on account of illness. 

On the day of the battle there were seventy-eight men down with 
bilious fever, of the type which had attacked Perry, and of which he 
still felt the effects. 

The woodsmen from Kentucky were stout, brave fellows, though un- 
used to fighting on a ship and by nature intolerant of a ship's discipline. 
There was not an officer in the W'hole squadron who had seen as much 
service as Barclay and Finnis. 

Perry was only twenty-seven years old, and had never been in a naval 
engagement. Captain Elliott, of the Niagara, was the only man among 
the other officers who had ever been under fire. But they were young, 
brave and full of ardor. 

The sailing masters were unaccustomed to naval tactics. They had 
been taken from the merchant marine and promoted to the navy. In 
their own line they were well tried and skilful navigators, and most 
loyal followers of the young commander who had chosen them for naval 
service. 

In the changed order of battle Perry led the van, on the flagship Law- 
rence, to meet the Detroit. He stationed the Scorpion ahead and the 
Ariel on his weather bow. 

The Caledonia was paired against the Hunter; the Niagara against 
the Queen Charlotte. The Somers, Porcupine, Tigress and Trippe fol- 
lowed to engage the Lady Provost and Little Belt. 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 69 

At ten o'clock Perry signaled his fleet: 

"Clear for action."' 

The racks and circular grommets of rope were crammed with shot. 
Pistols, boarding pikes, and cutlasses were brought to quarters. Pre- 
venter-braces were rove, slow-matches lit, and the decks wet and sanded 
to prevent explosions and hold the sailors' feet if the planks should be- 
come wet and slippery with blood. 

As the fleet approached the enemy every man stood at his post. Reso- 
lutely all eyes were fixed on the encouraging and almost joyous face of 
their brave leader. Mounting a gun-slide and unfolding the blue signal, 
he spoke out with a clear, melodious voice: 

"My brave lads! this flag contains the last words of Captain Law- 
rence. Shall I hoist it?" 

"Ay, ay, sir!" came the ready response from every man and boy in the 
vessel. Instantly the flag was run up and floated from the royal-mast- 
head of the Lawrence. 

"Don't give up the ship!" 

The memorable words of the dying Lawrence caught the eyes of the 
entire fleet. With one accord three hearty cheers rose from the line. It 
was an enthusiastic response to the appeal. 

The thrill of excitement was infectious. Even the sick fancied they 
were better and proffered their feeble services for the impending 
struggle. 

"Go below, Mays!" 

This was the command of the sailing master of the Lawrence to a 
poor fellow who had dragged himself on deck to offer his last mite of 
life. 

"You are too sick to be here." 

"I can do something, sir." 

"What can you do?" 

"I can sound a pump, sir, and let a good man go to the guns." 

He sat down at the pump, and let the strong man go to the guns. 
When the fight was ended, he was found at his self-appointed post, with 
a ball through his heart. He was from Newport; his name was Wilson 
Mays. It shall not be forgotten. 

The fleets were approaching nearer and nearer. By twelve o'clock 
the vessels would certainly be in action. Accordingly the noon-day grog 
was served and the bread-bags emptied in advance. It was a thought- 
ful provision for the coming labor. In another moment the men came 
again to quarters with a will. 



ro SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Having an eye to every detail Perry now went the rounds of the deck. 
Every gun was examined and a cheerful word exchanged with the "cap- 
tain" of each crew. 

When he came to some familiar faces of weather-beaten tars who had 
served with him on the Constitution, he said: 

"Well, boys! are you ready?" 

"Ay, ay, sir; -all ready, your honor." At the same time they touched 
their tarpaulins or red handkerchiefs, in quick reply. 

"But I need not say anything to you," continued Perry; "you know 
how to beat these fellows!" and he continued his rounds. 

Coming upon a group of sailors from his native town his face beamed 
with neighborly interest and pride, and he exclaimed : 

"Ah, here are the Newport boys! They will do their duty, I 
warrant!" 

The excitement of preparation was over. In the few moments before 
the conflict each heart beat quick with anxious expectation. The babble 
of voices was stilled. Man has little to say to man when his heart is 
filled by the reflections that come as he approaches the dread gulf be- 
tween life and death. 

Only here and there was there a hushed whisper between friends, 
that told of mutual requests of kind offices in case death came to them. 

"Tell my mother I thought of her at the last moment," said one. 

"Give this keepsake to my beloved," confided another, "and tell her it 
received my dying kiss." 

Perry entrusted his affairs to the purser, Mr. Hambleton, telling him 
how to act in case of his death. 

To the public papers were attached pieces of lead that they might 
sink if thrown overboard. Thus they would escape the enemy in case of 
defeat. His private papers Perry destroyed with his own hands. 

His wife's letters made him pause. Finally, giving them a hasty read- 
ing, he tore them up and threw them overboard. As the fragments 
strewed the water, he said: 

"Let what will happen, the enemy shall not read these." 

As he closed his instructions to Hambleton he exclaimed: 

"This is the most important day of my life." 

The hush of human voices continued for an hour and a half. 

As the wind was light and steady no change of sail was necessary. 
The vessels of the van moved steadily forward under easy canvas; those 
behind followed with all sail set. 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 71 

Suddenly the stillness was broken. A bugle on the Detroit was an- 
swered by loud cheers throughout the British squadron. 

This was followed by a gun from the Detroit, aimed at the Lawrence. 
The range was about a mile and a half, however, and the shot did not 
strike her antagonist. 

The hour was a quarter of twelve, and the action had begun. 
From the masthead of the Lawrence Perry displayed the signal: 
"Let each vessel engage her appointed antagonist." 
All were in perfect order. The Lawrence led. With her was the 
Scorpion and Ariel. Next, according to arrangement, came the Cale- 
donia and Niagara, a half a cable's length apart. The other vessels, 
being slow boats, were lagging in the rear. 

Perry was eager to close with his antagonist. A second shot, from 
one of the Detroit's long guns, had passed through and through both 
bulwarks of the Lawrence. Accordingly he ordered the sailing master 
to set all canvas. 

The American brig was best fitted for close action. Her guns were 
carronades, which could not respond effectively to the long cannon of 
the enemy. 

The wind was exasperatingly light. The vessel moved very slowly 
and Perry counted, impatiently, every minute. 

The entire English fleet had concentrated its fire on the Lawrence, 
and in ten minutes had inflicted very serious damage. 

Not a shot had yet been fired in return. But now, at five minutes of 
twelve, the bugle was sounded for the other vessels to begin action, and 
immediately the Lawrence sent a shot from her long twelve-pounder. 

The schooners ahead, the Scorpion and Ariel, then opened fire. These 
were followed by the Niagara and Caledonia, and then the whole fleet; 
but at such a range as to produce but little effect. 

The Lawrence felt the effect of the enemy's heavy armament more 
and more. All the while Perry was carrying every inch of canvas in 
order to bring his carronades within range. Once more he gave the 
order to the trumpeter: 

"Pass the word for the vessels to close up and take their station at a 
half cable's length from each other." 

The order was caught up by Captain Elliott, on the Niagara, and re- 
peated to the next, and the next, and so on down the line. 

Slowly the Lawrence floated towards the Detroit. 

When he thought he was within range Perry luffed up and let go a 
broadside from his starboard battery. 



73 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

The range was too long and he again bore away, steering straight for 
the Detroit. Broadsides were fired as fast as the men could serve the 
guns. Perry drew closer and closer until he was within three hundred 
and fifty yards of his antagonist, when he hauled up and laid the Law- 
rence on a course parallel with the Detroit. 

Perry had advanced so persistently that Captain Barclay thought his 
object w^as to board. This was not so. Perry simply wanted his can'on- 
ades to bear at an effective range. When he had gained his position 
the guns were served with great spirit and rapidity. 

It seemed to have been prearranged by the enemy to destroy the Law- 
rence at all hazards. Every gun was trained on this unfortunate vessel. 

The Lawrence had outsailed the rest of the fleet and was now left 
almost alone to bear the whirlwind of attack. 

The plucky little Scorpion and Ariel did all in their power to help; 
but their best efforts made little impression. 

The Niagara had not come down close enough into the action to be 
of any avail. 

The Caledonia, in the meantime, was engaged in a hot but unequal 
struggle with the Hunter, while the rest of the American fleet were yet 
too far aAvay to do anything except fire their long guns, with uncertain 
results, at the nearest of the enemy's ships. 

The Queen Charlotte could not reach her foe, the Niagara, and she 
bore down behind the Detroit. From this position she poured in her 
fire on the Lawrence. 

Perry's ship suffered terribly. The odds were simply overpowering; 
but for over two hours she continued the unequal struggle. 

The discipline amidst all this havoc on the Lawrence was superb. 
The guns were fired with the same regularity and rapidity as if it had 
been an exercise at target practice. 

But one by one the cannon were dismounted. The bulwarks were 
beaten down and the enemy's shot found no resistance. The sails and 
rigging were fearfully cut and torn. The yards and spars were broken 
and hung in splinters. The deck and sides w-ere a confused tangle of 
cordage. The whole vessel was an unmanageable wreck. 

The loss of life was equally frightful. 

A hundred good men had gone into the fight. In two hours twenty- 
two had been killed and sixty-one wounded. 

Even the wounded and bleeding fought. Nothing but death could 
stop the brave fellows from standing by their commander. Again and 
again men who had been sent below wounded, reappeared on deck. 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 73 

"When the battle had raged an hour and a half," says Dr. Parsons, 
"I heard a call for me at the skylight. Stepping towards it, I saw it 
was the commodore. His countenance was as calm and placid as if on 
ordinary duty. 

" 'Doctor,' said he, 'send me one of your men,' meaning one of my six 
assistants. 

"In five minutes the call was repeated. At the seventh call I told 
him he had them all. 

"He asked, 'Can any one pull a rope?' 

"Two or three of the wounded crawled upon deck and feebly assisted 
in pulling at the last guns." 

Midshipman Lamb was sent below with a shattered arm. The sur- 
geon hastily applied a splint and tourniquet, and Lamb turned to re- 
sume his duties on deck. At that moment a cannon ball, crashing 
through the bulwark, struck him dead. 

A Narragansett Indian sailor, a little later, was also killed by a 
cannon ball just after the surgeon had removed a shattered limb. 

First Lieutenant Yarnall went below with a serious scalp wound, 
from which the blood was streaming down his face. 

"Fix me up in a hurry. Doctor; I must get back on deck," said the 
lieutenant. 

Some lint and a colored handkerchief were hastily bound on his head 
and he went away. In a few minutes he returned wounded again, and 
a more portentous looking object than before. 

Some of the hammocks had been struck and torn. The feathery cat- 
tails with which they were stuffed had been sent flying in the air, and 
some of them had lighted on Yarnall's head. The blood from his wound 
had caused them to stick, and he looked, as Dr. Parsons said, "like a 
very large owl." 

Even the wounded burst into laughter at his ludicrous appearance. 
The doctor again fixed him up and the lieutenant hurried back to the 
hottest of the fight. Going to Perry, he said : 

"All the officers in the first division under my command are either 
dead or wounded. I must have some others in their places.'" 

Perry was irresistibly impressed by the drollery of his looks and 
could not repress a smile as he granted his request. 

In a little while Yarnall again came to his commander with the same 
request for officers. 

"You must endeavor to make out by yourself. I have no more to 
give you," was the reply. 



74 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Such had been the havoc of the fight! 

Second Lieutenant Forrest was struck in the breast by a grapeshot 
and thrown prostrate on the deck. 

Perry happened to be standing near. Lifting him up and seeing that 
he was not wounded, but thrown by a spent ball, the commander en- 
couraged him with the assurance: 

"Good, you are not hurt!" 

Finding that he was not killed, Forrest rallied to his feet, and pulling 
out the shot that had lodged in his waistcoat, replied, as he put the 
ball in his pocket: 

"No, sir, I'm not hurt, but this is my shot!" 

Perry never lost his calmness and cheerfulness during the whole of 
this frightful slaughter. 

His oflScers and crew were equally brave, and carried themselves like 
heroes during those hours of awful carnage. There was no thought of 
flinching in the presence of that commander, to whom they looked not 
only for encouragement while fighting, but for consolation in death. 

When a shot had mowed a bloody swath through a gun crew, the few 
remaining would turn to Perry for an assuring glance. Then cheerfully 
they sprang to fill the places of their fallen mates. 

Those who were too badly wounded to go below would turn implor- 
ing faces to their beloved commander to hear him pronounce the well- 
earned praise — "well done" — before it greeted their ears from the lips of 
the Master on the other side. 

One single gun remained. 

It was loaded and fired, loaded and fired again. 

But men were too few to serve this single piece. Perry himself, with 
the aid of Hambleton and Erase, the chaplain, kept it in action, until 
it, too, was dismounted. 

At half past two the Lawrence was totally disabled. Only twenty 
persons, including Perry, were capable of duty. Still the young com- 
mander did not give up the fight. 

The deck was strewn with the dead and dying and was covered with 
blood. As he stood in the midst of this carnage he looked deliberately 
around, through the rifts of enveloping smoke, to catch a glimpse of the 
condition of the rest of the fleet. 

Lieutenant Forrest was at his side. Seeing the Niagara in the dis- 
tance ho exclaimed: 

"Look! that brig will not help us. See how he keeps off! He will not 
come to close action." 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 75 

"I'll fetch him up!" replied Perry. 

The good condition of the Niagara had instantly determined him to 
shift his flag. As long as he lived he was determined to keep that flag 
floating over his head. 

The Lawrence was turned over to the command of Lieutenant Yar- 
nall. Then grasping the little blue signal, with its inspiring legend, 
"Don't give up the ship!" he took his young brother, a boy midshipman, 
of twelve years of age, and pushed off in the ship's boat. 

The crew pulled hard at the oars. Periy himself was so intent on 
his purpose, and eager to bring the Niagara into action, that he stood 
erect in the stern of the boat, watching the contest and impatient of a 
moment's rest. 

Perry's action had caught the enemy's attention. His object was ob- 
vious. In a moment the little boat was the target of cannon and 
musketry. 

The ping of bullets sang about the ears of the men. The oar blades 
were shattered. The spray dashed in their faces. Even the gunwales of 
the boat were penetrated here and there by the shot. 

Perry still stood erect in the stern of the boat, a splendid target for 
the enemy's bullets. 

The anxious crew begged him to sit down. Finally one of them, 
seeing that their intrepid commander would pay no attention to their 
prayers, actually took hold of him and drew him into his seat. 

For a quarter of an hour the men heroically stuck to the oars, pulling 
the boat through an almost continuous shower of lead and iron. 

The little band of survivors on the Lawrence had watched their 
course with anxious hearts. Now, as Perry stepped safely over the bul- 
warks of the Niagara, they sent up a faint but joyful cheer. 

The colors of the shattered Lawrence still flew, and the British con- 
tinued to fire on her. She did not have a gun on her deck; nor crew 
enough to man one. The vessel was perfectly unmanageable and drift- 
ing. At last Lieutenant Yarnall resolved to strike his colors. It was a 
humane decision, as many of the wounded below, because of the light 
draught of the vessel, were above the water line and exposed to the fire. 

Accordingly the flag was hauled down. 

An exultant cheer from the crowded bulwarks went up as the British 
watched the pennant slowly descend to the deck. 

The burst of triumph was a little premature. It struck upon the ears 
of the wounded and dying more bitterly than the last toll of death. 

"Sink the ship! let us all sink together!" 



76 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

These were the only words heard by the surgeon in reply to the shout 
of victory above the enemy. The poor fellows turned from his merciful 
offices and pushed aside lint and bandage. They refused the proffered 
hopes of life. 

Perry having reached the deck of the Niagara, he was met at the 
gangway by Captain Elliott, who asked: 

"How is the day going?" 

"Badly!" replied Perry. He then stated the condition in which he 
left the Lawrence, and asked : 

"What are the gunboats doing so far astern?" 

Without answering the question Elliott promptly said: 

"I will go and bring them up if you wish." 

In a moment he was in the boat and off. 

Perry now mounted the quarter-deck of the ship. Yards were 
squared, the helm put up, topgallant sails set, and the signal for close 
action hoisted. In a moment the ship bore away towards the English 
line. 

The signal was welcomed by a cheer from the whole fleet. The wind 
had freshened and each vessel rapidly closed up with its adversary. 

In a few minutes the Niagara had covered the intervening half mile, 
and was right upon the enemy. As she advanced she received a raking 
fire, but did not reply with her own guns. 

The Detroit attempted to wear and bring her starboard guns to bear. 
Many of those on the larboard side had been dismounted or injured. 

The (^ueen Charlotte, which had taken a position close in her lee, did 
not second this manoeuver quickly enough, and the two vessels got foul 
of each other. 

The bowsprit and head-bows of the Charlotte had caught in the miz- 
zen rigging of the Detroit. As the two boats lay thus together, Perry 
deliberately sailed the Niagara under the bows of the Detroit. As the 
vessel slowly passed he poured into both ships a deadly and awfully de- 
structive fire of grape and canister, at half pistol-shot distance. 

From the larboard guns a raking fire was directed against the stern 
of tlie Lady Prevost, which had passed to the head of the line, and also 
against the Little Belt. 

The marines in the tops, with deadly aim, had at the same time 
cleared the British decks of every one to be seen above the rails. The 
groans and cries of the wounded told how terrible had been the de- 
struction. 

As Perry passed under the lee of the two British ships they got clear, 




COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 77 

but were only slightly separated. He now brought the Niagara by the 
wind on the starboard tack, backing the maintop-sail to check the ves- 
sel's headway. With his starboard guns he continued to pour broadsides 
into the Queen Charlotte and the Hunter, which now lay astern of her. 

In this position some of the shots, passing entirely through the Char- 
lotte's ports, took effect on the Detroit. 

By this time the smaller American vessels had come into the fight. 
They were on the windward side and kept up a destructive fire of grape 
and canister. Unfortunately, in this position whenever their shot, and 
that of the Niagara, missed the enemy, it was likely to take effect on the 
American boats. 

But the British guns were silenced. An officer came to the taffrail of 
the Charlotte to signify that she had struck. 

The Detroit, the Hunter, and the Lady Prevost followed her example. 

Seven minutes after the Niagara broke the English line and opened 
her awful fire, every British flag was down. 

The fleets had fought just three hours and a quarter on that mem- 
orable 10th of September, and when the smoke of battle blew away 
friend and foe were seen closely intermixed. 

The victorious Niagara still flew the signal for close action. But her 
guns were quiet and she lay hard by her conquered prey, the Detroit, 
Queen Charlotte and the Hunter. 

The Chippewa and Little Belt, with all sail spread were trying to 
escape to Maiden. But the Caledonia, Scorpion and Trippe were in such 
a position to the leeward that they were able to pursue and force them 
to strike. 

The Lawrence was a helpless wreck, but the American flag once 
more proudly floated over her deck. 

When Perry sent an officer to take possession of the Detroit she pre- 
sented a spectacle of death and ruin hardly less tragic and revolting than 
that of the Lawrence. 

The dismounted guns encumbered the deck. The dead were piled 
in heaps. Everywhere gore and shattered limbs and shreds of human 
beings were to be seen. 

The first lieutenant had been killed, and the second lieutenant was in 
command, with a few surviving officers and men. 

Commodore Barclay had once been carried below, severely wounded. 
When he regained consciousness he insisted on being taken to the deck. 

Soon he was struck by a second grape shot, which shattered his shoul- 

6 



78 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

der blade. A second time he AVas carried helpless and insensible to his 
cabin. 

When the oflScer in command saw the day was lost he sent word to 
the prostrate Barclay. The determined commodore ordered himself to 
be lifted a second time to the deck, that he might see with his own eyes 
if there was any hope in further resistance. 

There was none. 

He yielded and the Stars and Stripes waved in victory over the Union 
Jack. 

Perry retired to his cabin and wrote to General Harrison that famous 
dispatch which for terseness vies with the veni, vidi, viol of Caesar. 

"Dear General: We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two 
ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop. 

"Yours with very great respect and esteem, O. H. Perry." 

Then to the Secretary of the Navy he wrote: 

"Sir: It has pleased the Almighty to give to the arms of the United 
States a signal victory over their enemies on this lake. The British 
squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one 
sloop, have this moment surrendered to the force under my command 
after a sharp conflict. 

"I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
O. H. Perry." 

With a sad heart, Perry finally went to the Lawrence. 

The deck was foul and slippery with blood. The forms of the twenty 
officers and men who had been killed had not yet been removed. Every- 
where the ship was filled with the pitiful sounds of the suffering of the 
wounded. 

A silent welcome was his salutation as he came over the ship's side. 
Words had no place. 

Though three officers from Commodore Barclay came aboard at that 
moment to deliver the Englishman's sword. Perry could not e.xult in the 
glory of victory. As his feet trod in the blood of his brave followers 
he could but sorrow for what the victory had cost. 

With solemn but courteous air he refused the proffered hilts of the 
officers' swords, and said: 

"I beg of you to keep your side arms." 

This ceremonial of triumph over, Perry made a round of the dead 
and dying. His little twelve-year-old brother was sleeping quietly in 
his hammock. As he passed him he smiled affectionately, and with 
grateful recognition exclaimed: 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. PERRY. 79 



"I believe that my wife's prayers have saved me this day." 

The solemn and beautiful service of the Episcopal Church was then 
read over the dead seamen and their bodies committed to the deep. 

The next morning the combined fleet arrived at Put-in-Bay. 

Commodore Perry's courteous treatment of the captured squadron 
elicited a heartfelt and generous testimony from the brave leader of the 
enemy, Captain Barclay, who said: 

"The conduct of Perry toward the captive officers and men was suf- 
ficient of itself to immortalize him." 

Perry visited the wounded Barclay. His solicitude and warm-heart- 
ed kindness won the affections of his fallen foe. From that time the two 
became constant friends. 

On his own responsibility Perry advanced money to the British offi- 
cers. He pledged himself to secure a parole for Barclay, and finally 
succeeded. 

The victory wrested the command of Lake Erie from the British. It 
led to the restoration of the territoi'y of Michigan, and the release of the 
northern frontier from the cruelties of the savage. It was the great 
event of the war. Perry, able, brave, and magnanimous, was at once 
enrolletl among those heroes whom our country will never cease to honor. 

He died in Port Spain, Island of Trinidad, August 23, 1819. 

STORY OF PERRY'S FIGHT BY A PARTICIPANT IN THE 

ENGAGEMENT. 

Mr. John Norris, an old man of eighty-four years of age, the only sur- 
vivor of Commodore Perry's victory, told this story a few years before 
his death. , It is a graphic, picturesque narration worthy of a permanent 
place in our literature: 

A correspondent of the Cincinnati Enquirer interviewed Mr. John 
Norris, the only survivor of Commodore Perry's famous victory on Lake 
Erie in his flagship Lawrence, which was raised at Misery Bay, Erie Har- 
bor. Mr. Norris was in his eighty-fourth year, and resided at Petei-sburg, 
Kentucky, where he recited to his newspaper visitor the following: 

I enlisted from Mason County, Kentucky, in May, 1818, and was soon 
after mustered at the old barracks in Newport in a comj^any of cavalrj', 
Captain John Paj'ue, of Augusta, commander. 

The company was made up of men from Mason, Bracken, Lewis, 
Lemon and Fayette counties, and was mustered in for six months. We 
were assigned to Colonel Johnson's three months' regiment — nearlv all 



80 SPLENDID DEEDS OX SEA AXD LAND. 

iho niombers of wliicli wero also from Kontuckv — and we then began 
scouring the Indian couutry towards Northern Ohio. 

We stopped in Fort Meigs and in Camp Seneca on the Sandusky 
River, then in command of General Harrison, and then we joined Colonel 
Ball's forces from Maryland and proceeded down toward lower San- 
dusky. 

We were armed with swords and pistols. 

On the way down our advance guard was ambushed by a party of 
Indians, numbering only thirteen. 

This provoked an attack from our whole army, and the Indians were 
all slain. After the skirmish, as each man came filing back into line, 
over fifty men individually claimed to have "bloodied" their swords in 
the heart of a live Indian. 

Each of fifty men had killed a savage when there were only thirteen 
savages to kill. 

I didn't ''bloody" my sword. 

About this i)lace and Seneca we skirmished the most of the summer, 
carrying on a sort of predatory warfare. 

Toward the latter part of the season Commodore Perry sent word 
down to General Harrison that he wanted a company of fighting men, 
and General Harrison disi)atched a messenger over to our company 
asking for volunteers. The general had tickled the pride of us Ken- 
tuckians by saying we did not know Avlien we were whipped, and when 
he sent his messenger he sent him with instructions to ask for volun- 
teers only. 

The messenger came to our company. I had been eager to see some 
good fighting before my six months' term expired. As I heard the mes- 
sage delivered, therefore, I jumped at the chance, and was the first to 
exclaim: 

"I am one to go." 

"I am second," "I am third," etc., in quick succession passed down 
the line until twenty men from our company had volunteered their ser- 
vices. 

We were taken down the Sandusky the next day to Perry's fleet, 
which was lying at Portage, near what is now called Sandusky City, and 
were placed on board the Caledonia, commanded by Captain Turner. 

• This was toward the latter part of August ; I don't just remember the 
day. The commodore had made several inefl'ectual efforts to induce the 
British commander to come out from his stronghold in Maiden and en- 
gage him, but the wily old Britisher did not respond. He maintained his 



COMMODORE OLIVER H. FERRY. 81 

dignity and streugtliened himself by buildiug and manning another 
vessel, called the Detroit, and by cruising about on his own side of the 
lake, out of reach of Perry. 

We had eight vessels and the British only six, but these Avere manned 
with more and heavier guns. If I remember rightly, we had only 
fifty guns, while John Bull had nearly or quite sixty-nine. 

Early on the morning of the 10th of September I was sleeping on the 
deck of the Caledonia, and being suddenly awakened by hearing men 
talk excitedly', I inquired the cause. 

I Avas told that the long-wished-for time was near at hand — that the 
enemy was approaching us. 

With the naked eye I could see nothing; but being proffered a spy- 
glass, I for the first time beheld the British squadron in battle array. 
For a moment the prospect was not cheering, and my knees in spite of 
me would smite each other. This kind of feeling did not last long, how- 
ever. The hurry and bustle of preparation gave no time for fear, and 
when at noon we came together my knees were ready to do my bidding. 

The blue bunting, with the Avords of the dying Lawrence, "Never give 
up the ship," in white letters, Avas run up to the masthead of Perry's ship, 
the Lawrence, and then the terrible battle began. 

Prior to this, and while drilling, it had generally required six and 
eight men to move the twenty-four pounders with Avhich the Caledonia 
was armed; now, in the excitement of battle, three of us could load and 
fire our gun as often as one cotild an ordinary musket. 

So long as we saAv our banner flying from the mast of the Lawrence 
we felt to fight like tigers. Suddenly, however, we saw the old flag com- 
ing down. 

Never could I forget the feelings I then experienced. I thought the 
day was lost, and that the glory Ave had dreamed of was gone. 

I wanted to die. 

Yet we fought on, but Avithout spirit. 

Meantime we saw a small rowboat leaving the Lawrence manned 
by six men, and suddenly we saw an oflicer rise up in that boat and fling 
out the same old banner that had Avaved from the Lawrence, and tlioii 
our spirits took new courage. 

We knew that officer to be our commodore, and we knew, too, that 
the day was not lost. We saAv the frail boat making for the Niagara, 
and soon we saw the old banner climbing the Niagara's mast, and then 
a cheer went up, and the struggle was renewed. 

The Niagara pushed in between the enemy's men-of-war's men, and 



83 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

vomited forth her broadsides. From Perry came the order to the Cale- 
douia to close up nearer and let the enemy have it fresh from the mouths 
of our twenty-four pounders. 

The order was no sooner given than we did close up, and so did the 
whole line. 

The effect was terrible, and the British pride was soon conquered. 
One by one the enemy's flags kissed the deck, and one by one his guns 
<"eased to speak, until just before four o'clock, three hours and forty 
minutes after the struggle began, the last gun was fired. 

That last gun was on the Caledonia, and was the one manned by 
myself and others, aud not by Stephen Chaplain, as has been before 
statetl. 

And it was the last shot that the gun ever fired, for she had then be- 
come disabled. At her breach she had a seam wide enough to insei't a 
case-knife. 

This seam I discovered, and when calling Captain Turner's attention 
to it, he said : 

"My God, how we have escaped! Another fire and we would have 
been blown to atoms!'' 

I know that after this there was not another shot fired, and I can 
recall all the circumstances. 

We on the Caledonia felt very proud. We felt proud when we learned 
of the commodore's message: 

"We have met the enemy aud they are ours." 

And we felt proud when we heard that in his official report he would 
say: 

"The Caledonia did more real damage to the enemy than any other 
vessel." 

And my Kentucky pride swelled, I tell you, when Colonel Todd told 
me that he heard Commodore Pei'ry say to General Han-ison, when talk- 
ins: of the men which the latter had sent him, that if it had not been for 
those twenty men sent him from Seueca he believed he would have lost 
the battle. 

I escaped without a scratch, though on the deck of the Caledonia it 
would have been hard, after the battle, to have found a spot larger than 
your hand where a cannon ball had uot done some damage. 

The (lead and the wounded cared for, the dead privates heaved into 
the lake and the officers carried ashore and buried, we soon after left 
the Caledonia, and after a short trip to Maiden we were again made 
"land lubbers." 




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COillluDoRE T. XIACLiuXOUGH 



CHAPTER VI. 
THOMAS Mcdonough, the hero of lake champlain. 

Thomas McDonough will live iu our history as the Hero of Lake 
Champlain. A more gallant commander never stood on the quartex'-deck 
of an American vessel. He was born in 17S6, in the county of Newcastle, 
Delaware. 

His father was a physician of considerable eminence. In 1775 he 
was appointed major in Colonel Haslett's regiment, but soon retired 
from the service. 

When the Revolutionary struggle ended he was appointed to a judge- 
ship. This office he held with credit until his death, in 1795. His eldest 
son, James, had a taste for the sea, and was with Commodore Truxton 
in the engagement between the Constitution and French frigate L'lusur- 
gente, in 1799. In this battle he lost a leg and was forced to retire from 
the service. 

Thomas, inspired by the example of his father and elder brother, 
began his naval career at an early age. When twelve years old he ob- 
tained a midshipman's warrant and entered the navy. His first service 
was on the American coa.st. Later he sailed with the fleet to the Medi- 
terranean, where he rendered himself conspicuous for bravery in the war 
with Tripoli. 

His manner was grave and thoughtful beyond his years. When, how- 
ever, the occasion of trial came he showed that he was iwssessed of a 
most dauntless spirit. 

McDonough was the kind of a sailor Decatur chose when he proposed 
to burn the Philadelphia, which had been captured by the Tripolitaus. 
He was therefore appointed to accompany Lawrence, as one of the offi- 
cers, on that daring and successful enterprise. 

The trust of the commodore was not misplaced, and McDonough 
came to enjoy the companionship in service of this gallant officer. 

While cruising in the Mediterranean the following incident occurred 
which illustrates the firm, decided character of the man. 

An American merchantman had come to anchor in a certain port, 
just ahead of the Siren. Captain Smith of the war vessel was absent 
at the time on shore. 

83 



S4 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Very soon a British frigate, which was lying in the harbor, sent a 
boat to the merchantman. The men boarded the American vessel and 
took off one of the seamen. 

McDonough was first lieutenant of the Siren, and senior officer on 
board at the time. When he saw the occurrence he prom^jtly called out: 

"Lower the gig!" 

An armed crew was sent on and McDonough, taking the tiller ropes, 
overhauled the British boat just as she was pulling alongside the frigate. 
He seized the man who had been impressed and returned him to his own 
boat. 

The rescue had been so prompt and daring that the British were 
struck aghast. They were too astonished to offer the least resistance. 

When the English commander was informed of the incident he has- 
tened on board the Siren. Confronting McDonough he angrily de- 
manded: 

"How dare you take a man from my boat?" 

"The man is an American seaman and under the protection of th ■ 
flag of the United States, and it is my duty to protect him," quietly bu: 
determinedly answered McDonough. 

Swearing a tremendous oath, the captain said, "I don't care for your 
American flag! If you don't give up the man I'll bring my frigat>? 
alongside and blow you to the devil!" 

"That you may do, but as long as my vessel floats you shall not have 
the man," said McDonough. 

"You're a hair-brained youth, and will repent of your rashness. If 
I had been in the boat you would not have dared to take the man." 

"I should have tried, at any rate." 

"W^hat, sir! would you venture to interfere if I were to impress the 
men from that brig?" 

"You have only to try it, sir, to find out," answered the resolute Mc- 
Donough. 

The enraged Englishman returned to his frigate. A boat was 
manned and armed. With threatening aspect they pulled off again 
towards the American merchantman. 

McDonough manned and armed a boat and went to meet the foe. 

This seemed to bring the Englishman to his senses. He changed his 
course, took a roundabout turn and pulled back to his ship. 

The cool, determined conduct of McDonough showed the temper of 
the man. He was not to be trifled with. The Englishman recognized the 



THOMAS Mcdonough, hero of lake c ham plain. ss 

fact, and was wise enough to avoid a collision with the spirited Ameri- 
can lieutenant. 

In his youth McDouough was one of the most athletic oflScers in the 
navy. He was proficient at sword play and held a wide reputation as 
an expert with the blade. 

Once when the Siren was lying in the harbor of Syracuse, McDonough 
was caught on shore. The last ship's boat had returned to the squadron 
for the night. 

There was nothing left but to hire a boat; but finding three men 
instead of the usual number, two, in it he became suspicious. He re- 
fused to allow them to row him to his vessel. At this the men drew their 
poniards and attacked him. 

In an instant his trusty blade flashed from its sheath. Though they 
were three to one he succeeded, by his superior skill, in wounding two 
of his assailants. The third took to his heels. 

Not satisfied with driving them off McDonough pursued the fugitive 
to the roof of the barracks. The would-be assassin escaped the sword, 
but not death, by jumping to the ground. 

Officers and men all admired the resolute spirit of the young lieu- 
tenant. His heroism always had a moral element in it, and this elevated 
it far above any exhibition of mere brute courage. 

His true dignity of character and fire of spirit were chiefly manifest 
when action and moments of trial brought his heroic qualities into play. 

His complexion was fair his eyes and hair light. Ill health, caused 
by hard service, had, in later life, weakened his once vigorous frame, and 
gave him an appearance which failed to proclaim the grand qualities 
of the man. 

He was tall of stature and possessed of that gentle dignity that be- 
longs to the gentleman of the old school. His face was resolute, but 
genial. 

No taint of impurity ever touched his character. He was as humble 
a Christian as he was a brilliant hero. 

After the war with Tripoli, McDonough passed a number of years in 
retirement. Nothing of importance occurred in his life from that time 
till the war of 1812. 

He was, at that time, twenty-six years old. At twenty-eight he was 
appointed to the command of the small naval force on Lake Champlain, 
which was regarded as a most important point of defense. 

The American squadron consisted of McDonough's flagship, the Sara- 
toga, carrying twenty-six guns and two hundred and twelve men; the 



86 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Eagle, a brig of twenty guns and one hundred and fifty men; the Ticon- 
deroga, a schooner of seventeen guns and one hundred and ten men; the 
Preble, a sloop of seven guns and thirty men; and ten small gunboats. 

Captain McDouough anchored his vessels opposite the mouth of the 
Sarauac liiver. They formed a line running north and south and parallel 
to the shores. 

The Eagle was farthest north. Then came the Saratoga and Ticon- 
deroga, and lastly the Preble. 

The gunboats formed a second line. They were placed in the inter- 
vals between the larger vessels and behind them. 

Thus the American line formed a barrier, so that the British vessels 
could pass ueither north nor south. 

There was nothing now to do but to wait. This, young McDonough 
proceeded calmly to do. 

On the morning of September 11, 181-1, as the sun rose, McDonough's 
guard-boat came alongside. Saluting his commander the officer re- 
ported : 

"The enemy's vessels are coming!" 

Turning to his lieutenant McDonough quietly remarked: 

"Lieutenant, display the signal to prepare for action." 

The crews responded to the signal with a will. Decks were cleared, 
guns run out, and preparations made to fight the British just as they 
were while the fieet lay at anchor. 

As eight bells were sounding, the sails of the British squadron began 
to appear. One by one, in menacing array, they doubled Cumberland 
Head and sailed into the bay. 

The British fleet was much superior in weight to the American. 

The Confiance, Captain Downie's flagship, was a frigate-decked boat 
of thirty-seven guns, and a crew of three bundled men. 

The next in size was the Linnet. She was a brig of sixteen guns and 
a crew of a hundred men. 

Besides these there were two sloops, the Chubb and the Finch. Each 
had a full armament and a crew of forty men. 

Twelve gunboats completed the list. These made a total of sixteen 
vessels, carrying ninety-six guns and a thousand men. 

To cope with this armament the Americans had fourteen vessels, 
mounting eighty-six guns and manned by eight hundred and fifty men. 

With their white wings spread, the enemy's vessels rounded the head. 
One after the other they formed into line abreast and headed towards 
the American squadron. 



THOMAS Mcdonough, hero of lake champ lain. s? 

McDonough having had ample time to make all preparations, he 
accordingly spent those few anxious moments, just before the conflict, in 
reading the prayer of the Episcopal service appointed to be read before 
a fight at sea against an enemy. 

"O most powerful and glorious Lord God, the Lord of Hosts, that 
rulest and commandest all things; Thou sittest in the throne judging 
right, and therefore we make our address to Thy Divine Majesty in this 
our necessity, that Thou wouldest take the cause into Thine own hand, 
and judge between us and our enemies. Stir up Thy strength, O Lord, 
and come and help us; for thou givest not alway the battle to the strong, 
but canst save by many or by few. let not our sins cry now against 
us for vengeance; but hear us, Thy poor servants, begging mercy, and 
imploring Thy help, and that Thou wouldest be a defense unto us 
against the face of the enemy. Make it appear that Thou art our Savior 
and mighty Deliverer, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." 

As the British came on the Eagle at the head of the American line, 
opened fire. The distance at first was too great. The shots apparently 
produced no effect on the advancing enemy. 

However, the English gunboats opened fire in response and kept up 
a heavy cannonading. McDonough, with glass in hand, watched the 
Eagle's fire. When the shots began to tell he brought the Saratoga's 
guns to bear on the approaching vessels. 

Just at this moment a young cock, which had got out of the coop, 
perched himself on the gun slide and giving his wings a vigorous flap 
let out a lusty crow. 

The crew at once saw in this a favorable omen. Their spirits were 
roused and they gave voice to three hearty cheers. 

The enemy were now in range of the Saratoga's guns. McDonough 
himself sighting a long twenty-four pounder, gave the order to fire. The 
shot struck the Coufiance fairly in the bows. It swept along the whole 
length of the deck, killing several men and carrying away the wheel. 

Confident in his superior force, Captain Downie tried to bring his 
vessels to bear on the American line. 

The Confiance, however, had been so badly crippled already that she 
was obliged to check her advance. Casting out her anchor she took up 
a position a quarter of a mile from the American line. 

This movement was seconded by the Linnet. Finding a favorable 
position forward of the Eagle's beam, she also anchored. 

The Chubb kept under way. Her object was to rake the American 



88 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Hue. lu the meantime the Finch with the gunboats got abreast of the 
Ticonderoga. 

The Coufiauce had been exposed to a hot lire while she was anchor- 
ing. Still Captain Downie would not allow a single shot to be fired in 
reply until this feat was accomplished. 

Now, however, he opened with a murderous broadside. Every gun 
was discharged at the same instant, and aimed directly at the Saratoga. 

Forty men were killed by this single broadside! 

The Saratoga's deck was encumbered with the dead and dying. It 
was found necessary to remove the hatches, which had been fastened 
down, and to pass the killed and wounded below. 

The awful slaughter had caused a momentary panic on board. Order 
was soon restored and McDonough had his little ship fighting as gal- 
lantly as ever. 

All the ships, in both squadrons, were now hotly engaged. Flash 
rapidly followed flash and the roar of artillery was continuous. 

The Chubb, while manoeuvering, had received a heavy broadside 
from the Eagle. This so crippled her that she drifted helplessly towards 
the Saratoga. A well placed shot from one of the flagship's guns forced 
her to strike her colors. McDonough sent a crew aboard and took pos- 
session at once. 

In the meantime the Finch had been given such a punishment by the 
Ticonderoga that she was driven from her position. The stream carried 
her away in an unmanageable condition and she grounded on the shoal 
of Crab Island. Here she was forced to strike her colors. 

The British gunboats closed in on the American vessels. The fire 
became too hot for the Preble and she cut her cables and ran in to a 
safe distance. The efforts of the gunboats were then concentrated on 
the Ticonderoga. 

Again and again they were within a boat hook's length of the 
schooner. Each time the Ticonderoga's commander, pacing the taffrail 
amid showers of grape and canister, directed the discharge of musket 
balls and small missiles with such effect that the gunboats were driven 

off. 

The Eagle was getting the worst of her duel with the Linnet. She 
was soon forced to slip her cables, and with topsails set she moved down 
to a position between the Saratoga and Ticonderoga. 

The Linnet now joined the Confiance in her fire upon the Saratoga. 
The result was almost annihilation for the American boat. The Eagle, 



THOMAS Mcdonough, hero of lake ch am plain. 89 

in her new position, began to open tire and drew some of tlie shot that 
had been directed against the flagship. 

Still the Saratoga had suffered so severely from the concentrated 
fire that she had not a gun left on the starboard side. 

Captain McDonough was not williout resources even in this plight. 

"Out with the kedge anchors,"' he ordered. 

"Xow, heave awaj," and by means of hawsers he skilfully turned his 
vessel around. This enabled him to bring his larboard guns to bear. 

The Confiance attempted the same manoeuver. It was unsuccessful. 

Terrible broadsides from the Saratoga's fresh guns raked her fore 
and aft, and reluctantly she lowered h(>r colors to the Stars and Stripes. 

The conquest over the flagship, Confiance, meant victory over the 
fleet. The battle of Lake Champlain had been fought and won! It had 
taken just two hours and a quarter to Avin one of the greatest of Ameri- 
can naval conflicts. 

The Linnet held out for a little longer. Then the Saratoga, bringing 
her guns on the Englishman, let go a thundering broadside. This was 
too much for the Linnet and she lowered her flag,— the third one to dip 
to the Saratoga tliat day. 

The gunboats, seeing the situation, hauled down their ensigns, and 
the only colors that remained were the proud and glorious American 
banners. 

It was a bloody battle. Fifty-two Americans were killed and fifty- 
eight wounded. 

Twice the Saratoga had been set on fire by hot shot from the Con- 
fiance during the engagement. The heroic exertions of the crew and 
the coolness of her commander alone saved the vessel. 

That she was not sunk was due to the fact that the enemy aimed a 
little high. Fifty-five round shot had penetrated her hull. Thirty-nine 
took effect on the Eagle. 

The British suffered still more severely. 

Though the real number of killed and wounded was never ascer- 
tained, the Confiance reported forty-one dead and eighty-three wounded. 

The Linnet was believed to have had many more than ten killed 
and fourteen wounded. This, however, was the number stated by the 
British. 

It is quite certain that the loss of the Finch, put down at two wound- 
ed, was very much underestimated. 

Besides the larger boats the enemy's gunboats had suffered severely. 
Their loss, however, was never ascertained. 



90 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

After they had struck, they waited a little to be taken posses- 
sion of, but as no one came, on account of a misunderstanding, they set 
sail and made their escape. 

A gun was accidentally discharged by the party that boarded the 
Conliance. Taking it for a signal the gunboats moved off without colors, 
one after another. 

McDonough did not have a vessel left with a mast standing. Thus 
he could not pursue with a large boat. The gunboats could not be 
spared, as their crews were required to man the pumps to keep the larger 
boats afloat. So he was obliged to see his conquered enemy quietly sail 
away. 

This victory justly earned McDonough the title of one of the greatest 
of our naval heroes. The nation overwhelmed him with praise. Every- 
where a grateful and enthusiastic people made the victory an occasion 
of festive honor. 

Public receptions were proffered; feasts were spread. But with true 
and characteristic modesty they were generally refused. 

Congress voted him thanks. An appropriate medal was bestowed, 
and he was promoted to the rank of post-captain. The under ofiQcers 
were not forgotten. Medals and swords were presented them, while 
the petty officers, seamen and marines were given three months' extra 
pay. 

The State of New York gave Captain McDonough a beautiful sword 
and a thousand acres of 'and. Vermont donated two hundred acres to 
him. Both tracts were situated in full view of the scene of the balllc 

But the most flattering testimonial he ever received was a sword, 
costing thirteen hundred dollars, the gift of the officers and men he had 
commanded in the Mediterranean. 

He died at sea, November 16, 1825, on board a trading brig, that had 
been sent by the United States government to bring him home from his 
last command, the Mediterranean squadron. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE GENERAL ARMSTRONG AND PRIVATEERS OF THE WAR 

OF 1812. 

Considerations of expediency recommended the system of privateer- 
ing to the United States during the war of 1812. The American navy 
was feeble; while that of England was very strong. England, more- 
over, had an extended commerce that could be seriously harassed, as 
her sails were on every sea. 

This system of warfare was sanctioned at the time both by the laws 
of nations, and by the general sentiments of mankind. Congress at once, 
at the outbreak of hostilities, authorized the President to issue commis- 
sions to private armed vessels of the United States, and he was not tardy 
in granting these letters of marque and reprisal. 

In six months New York and Baltimore alone had sent out forty-one 
privateers, many letters of marque, and a large number of pilot-boats. 

The privateers carried from six to ten guns, and a crew of forty 
or fifty men. The pilot-boats usually had a single "Long Tom," mounted 
on a swivel in the center, and a crew of about fifty men. 

The fortunes of these craft were varied and interesting. Wonderful 
boldness and consummate skill were constantly displayed by the Ameri- 
can seamen, who manned them. They were untaught in the art of naval 
warfare, but blest with unerring judgment. 

After the first six months of the war had passed, the greater num- 
ber of the naval conflicts was conducted, on the American side, by pri- 
vate armed vessels. In three years and nine mouths they captured, 
burned or destroyed about sixteen hundred English vessels. 

The American loss was much smaller, owing to the fact that the mer- 
chant marine was insignificant and that a majority of the vessels were 
kept in port. Five hundred ships of all classes would cover the captures 
made by the British. 

A fair representative of the American privateer was the General 
Armstrong, which in March, 1813, was cruising off the coast of South 
America, under command of Guy R. Champlin. 

Sighting a British sloop-of-war, the General Armstrong gave chase. 

91 



92 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

The enemy was the Coquette, mounting twenty-seven guns, and 
manned by a hundred and twenty hands. 

At ten o'clock the vessels were in shooting distance, and a brisk en- 
gagement began. Champlin and his officers concluded from the actions 
of their antagonist that she was a British letter of marque. They ac- 
cordingly agreed to board her, and for this purpose tacked and ran full 
for her side. But they had made a mistake in their calculations. The 
vessel was much larger than they had imagined. 

It was too late to retreat. For an hour the two ships poured heavy 
shot into each other, waging a fierce and obstinate fight within pistol 
distance. The Armstrong was severely crippled, and Champlin was 
wounded in the shoulder. From his cabin, however, he continued to 
give orders until his vessel was out of close range of the enemy. 

The men were then set to work the sweeps. By vigorous pulling and 
skilful sailing the Armstrong escaped, but under a heavy fire from the 
Coquette. 

At a meeting of the stockholders held in Tammany Hall, Champlin, 
on his return to New York, was presented with an elegant sword. 

''This," said the president, ''is in token of your gallant conduct and 
skilful seamanshiji which saved our vessel and your crew." 

Under the command of Captain Samuel C. Keid, the General Arm- 
strong, in September, 1814, had the most desperate and famous fight 
recorded in the history of privateering during the war. 

Captain Keid had anchored his ship in the harbor of Fayal, in the 
Azore Islands. It was a neutral port and belonged to Portugal. Here 
the Armstrong was attacked by a large British squadron under com- 
mand of Commodore Lloyd. The enemy's fleet consisted of the flagship 
Plantagenet, the frigate Rota, and the brig Carnation. The vessels car- 
ried a total of one hundred and thirty-six guns and a full complement of 
men. 

The Armstrong carried only seven guns and ninety men. 

In direct violation of neutrality laws Commodore Lloyd sent four 
large, well armed launches, manned with a total of a hundred and sixty 
men, into the harbor at night to attack the Americans. Keid, fearing 
treachery, had worked his vessel under the Castle's guns. 

These now aided the privateer in repelling the attack. The launches 
could not withstand the accurate fire, and drew off with heavy loss. 
The Armstrong had her first lieutenant wounded and one man killed. 

At midnight the attack was renewed, with fourteen launches and 
five hundred men. A terrible conflict of an hour ensued. 



THE GENERAL ARMSTRONG— THE PRH'ATEERS. 93 

Again the enemy was repulsed with terrible slaughter. One hundred 
and twenty men were killed and as many more wounded. 

At daylight the fight was reopened by the Carnation. The Arm- 
strong poured a telling fire into her which raked her fore and aft, and 
she hastily and ignominiously withdrew. 

The privateer was also very much damaged. 

"She cannot float through another attack," said Eeid; "send the 
ship's carpenter below and direct him to scuttle the vessel. At any rate 
she shall not fall into the hands of the enemy." 

The Armstrong was then abandoned. The British boarded her at 
once and set her on fire. 

The several attacks had lasted ten hours. In this brief period the 
British casualties amounted to three hundred, while the Americans lost 
but two killed and seven wounded. 

The unequal contest against this British squadron was a wonderful 
exhibition of bravery. Besides this, to Captain Reid and his gallant 
men is due the credit that New Orleans was not captured. Lloyd's 
squadron was part of the expedition then collecting at Jamaica to seize 
this southern American port. 

The aim of the unwarranted attack on the Armstrong was to capture 
her and make her a useful auxiliary in the expedition. 

The result was that the unexpected happened. The American vessel 
so crippled the fleet and decimated the crew that Lloyd was ten days 
late In reaching Jamaica. 

These ten days ga .e General Jackson time to approach the unpro- 
tected city. When the British expedition did finally arrive "Old Andy" 
had made preparations for them and the city was no longer a defenceless 
prey. 

England made apology to Portugal for the violation of neutrality. 
She also paid that government an indemnity for property destroyed at 
Fayal; but neither Portugal nor America obtained satisfaction or resti- 
tution for the destruction of the Armstrong in a neutral port. 

The conduct of the Armstrong and the circumstances of the attack 
made a commotion in the United States. Captain Reid was praised and 
lauded as one of the most daring of American naval commanders. The 
State of New York presented him with a sword and honored him with 
thanks on his return to his native land. He was greeted with enthusi- 
asm wherever he went. 



94 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

THE ROSSIE. 

Another privateer vessel that holds a record for adventure was the 
Rossie. She was a swift clipper-built schooner, of fourteen guns, and a 
crew of a hundred and twenty men, under the command of the naval 
veteran Commodore Barney. 

On the 12th of July, 1812, Barney sailed from Baltimore on one of the 
most exciting voyages on record. 

Nine days out of Baltimore Barney seized the brig Nymph, from New- 
buryport, for violating the non-importation act. The next day he, in 
turn, was chased by a British frigate. The Rossie showed a clean pair 
of heels to the Englishman and made good her escape, although she 
had twenty-five shot hurled at her from the frigate's bow chasers. 

On July 30th, the Rossie was chased again by a frigate and again 
she outsailed her pursuer. The next two days were each celebrated by 
a capture. The first, the Princess Royal, Barney burned; the second, 
the Kitty, he took and manned. 

Things were now coming Barney's way. On August 2d, he burned 
the brigs Fame and Devonshire, and the same day captured the brig 
Two Brothers. Putting sixty of his prisoners on board the latter he 
•sent her as a cartel to St. Johns, New Brunswick, to effect an exchange 
of as many American prisoners. 

With the prisoners Barney sent his compliments to Admiral Sawyer, 
the English commander. 

"Treat these prisoners well," he said, "and I will soon send you an- 
other shipload of captives for exchange." 

The third of August was also a red letter day. He took and sunk 
the brig Henry, the schooners Race-Horse and Halifax, captured and 
manned the brig William and added forty prisoners to the number on 
board the Two Brothers. 

On August 9th, Barney had a brief action with the twelve-gun ship 
Jenney. She proved no match for the Rossie and soon lowered her 
colors. The next day the Rebecca, of Saco, was seized for a breach of 
the non-importation law, and on the 28th, the Euphrates, of New Bed- 
ford, for the same reason. 

Barney now put into port at Newport. He had been out forty-five 
days and had captured fourteen vessels, nine of which he destroyed. 

On September 7th, the Rossie sailed out of the harbor for another 
cruise. Two days from port she fell in with a British squadron, and it 



THE GENERAL ARMSTRONG— THE PRIVATEERS. 95 

was only due to her good sailing qualities tliat Barney did not lose his 
ship. 

Three days later she had another run for her life. Six hours an 
English frigate tried to get in range, but Barney shook out his sails and 
darkness found them far in the lead. 

On the IGth of September, Barney attempted to capture the armed 
packet Princess Amelia. The English vessel made a stubborn and deter- 
mined resistance. For an hour the two vessels lay at pistol range firing 
heavy shot at each other. 

Barney's first lieutenant and six men were wounded. The Princess 
Amelia lost her captain, sailing master and one seaman killed, and six 
men wounded. 

The Amelia had hardly struck her flag, when Barney saw three ships 
bearing down upon him. Hastily securing his prize, he turned his vessel 
to engage the strangers. An eighteen-pound shot through the Rossie's 
quarter made Barney trim his sails and take to his heels. 

For four days he dogged the three vessels in the hope that, if they 
became separated, he could pounce down on one of them and capture it. 
Finally he gave up the game. 

Meeting the privateer Globe, of Baltimore, the two sailed on in com- 
pany. They captured the British schooner Jubilee and sent her to port, 
and seized the Merrimac for a violation of law. 

On November 10, Barney returned to Baltimore. In four months he 
had taken with the Eossie three thousand six hundred and ninety tons 
of shipping, valued at a million and a half of dollars, and two hundred 
and seventeen prisoners. 

The experience of the private vessel. Governor Tompkins, further 
illustrates the spirit of the sailors on these privateers. 

. The Tompkins was a schooner of fourteen guns and a "Long Tom," 
manned by a hundred and forty men. 

Captain Shaler, on December 25th, had sighted three vessels. They 
appeared to be two ships and a brig. 

Shifting his sail he ran down to attack the larger vessel, which he 
took to be a transport. When the Tompkins was within a quarter of a 
mile the captain saw that the vessel was a large frigate, which had been 
completely masked. 

He boldly opened fire, however, and received a terrible response. 

Such an unequal contest could not be sustained and he spread his 
sails to fly. 



96 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

"Thanks to her heels," he said, "aud my brave officers and crew, I 
did not have to give up my command at once." 

The Tompkins lost two men killed and six wounded. One of the 
former was a black man, named Johnson. 

"This man," Captain Shaler wrote, "ought to be registered on the 
book of fame and remembered with reverence as long as bravery is con- 
sidered a virtue." 

A twenty-four pound shot struck him iu the hip aud tore away the 
lower extremities of the body. In this pitiful state the poor fellow lay 
on the deck. Several times he exclaimed : 

"Fire away, boys; don't you neber haul dat color down!" 

The other man killed was also a negro. Several times before he died 
he said : 

"Throw me overboard, boys, I'm only in de way ob de oders." 

With such stuff for sailors, even though black, America had little to 
fear. 

There were dare-devil spirits among the privateersmen as well as in 
the regular service. To this class belonged Captain Boyle, who sailed 
first on the Comet and afterwards on the Chasseur. 

This latter vessel was a beautiful brig, the fastest of all the private 
craft. The story of her cruises is an exciting tale of romance. 

She was here, and there, and everywhere, a veritable "Phantom 
Ship." Sometimes she was in the West Indies, then on the coast of 
Prance, then in the English and Irish channels, then off Portugal and 
Spain, everywhere spreading terror among the vessels of England's mer- 
chant marine. 

Eighty captured vessels is the Chasseur's record. Many of these ves- 
sels were of great value. Three alone were worth four hundred thou- 
sand dollars. 

She swept over the seas with grace and impunity. Her captain was 
as bold as he was imprudent, and was confident that he could run if he 
could not fight. 

While in the English Channel Boyle issued a burlesque proclamation. 
The English admirals, Warren and Cochrane, had repeatedly declared 
the ports of the United States blockaded, but it was no more effectual 
than the blockade of English ports inspired by fear of the Chasseur. 

Said Boyle in his mock proclamation: 

"I declare all the ports, harbors, bays, creeks, rivers, inlets, outlets 
islands and sea coast of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire- 



THE GENERAL ARMSTRONG— THE PRIVATEERS. 97 

land in a state of blockade, and the Chasseur is sufficient force to compel 
obedience." 

The story of all the two hundred and fifty privateersmen would fill 
volumes of romantic history. It would be a record of daring, boldness 
and adventure almost unparalleled in the history of naval combats. 

The American private armed vessels bore a large share of the con- 
flict, and carried such distress to England's commerce that chey caused 
the disappointment and chagrin of the British ministry which had 
brought on the war. 

By treaty, the great powers of the world have abolished privateering, 
holding it to be an act of piracy. 

Spain was not a party to this agreement, and at the beginning of the 
Spanish-American war declared her intention to fit out privateers 
against American merchantmen. She, however, never carried her de- 
clared purpose into act. 

COMMODORE JOHN RODGERS. 

This intrepid naval officer was born in Hartford County, Maryland, 
on the 11th of July, 1771. His father was a patriotic Scotchman who 
served as colonel of militia during the year of independence. 

Like many other distinguished American seamen John Rodgers en- 
tered the merchant service when quite young. Beginning his seafaring 
life at thirteen years of age he became a captain at eighteen. He en- 
tered the American navy as lieutenant in March, 1798. 

He was the executive officer of the Constellation when the French 
frigate L'Insurgente was captured in 1799. For the services of Captain 
Truxton, himself and brother officers Congress voted a silver medal and 
passed a vote of thanks. 

He performed many brilliant deeds up to his appointment by senior- 
ity as chief in command of the home squadron cruising on the Atlantic 
coast. He sailed in his flagship, the President, with his fleet to inter- 
cept the British West Indian vessels. 

On June 23d, 1812, he sighted a large British man-of-war. It proved 
to be the Belvidera, a ship of thirty-six guns, under Captain Byron. 
Rodgers' own shixJ carried forty-four guns. 

The wind suddenly died away, and the commodore found it impossi- 
ble to overhaul the Englishman. He, however, turned his bow-chasers 
on the vessel in the hope of crippling her and checking her headway. 

Rodgers pointed the gun with his own hands. It was the first shot of 



98 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

the war. Another shot followed and another, all taking effect on the 
stern of the Belvidera. 

Then an unfortunate thing occurred. When the fourth gun was fired 
it burst, tearing up the forecastle deck. The commodore was thrown 
into the air and his leg broken in the fall. Sixteen of the crew were 
either killed or wounded. 

This unforeseen accident compelled the President to cease firing for 
a time. Taking advantage of the pause the Belvidera began to use her 
stern guns and did considerable damage, killing several of the Presi- 
dent's men. 

This state of things did not last long. As soon as the President re- 
sumed her fire she did it with such eflVct that the Belvidera was forced 
to lighten and try to run out of range. Her anchors were cut loose, water 
casks stove in, and boats thrown overboard. This lightened her sufifi- 
ciently to enable her to get out of range. 

Rodgers could not lighten. He was bound on a cruise, and needed 
all his supplies. The chase had to be abandoned, though a parting broad- 
side indicated the American sailor's disappointment. 

By tins time the rest of Captain Rodgers' fleet had overtaken the 
President, and again he directed the course in search of the Jamaica 
fleet. Cocoanut shells and orange peelings floating in abundance near 
tlie Newfoundland banks indicated that these tropical traders could 
not be far off. 

Surer information was gained from the skipper of a British privateer, 
which had been taken by the Hornet. This individual affirmed that he 
had seen the fleet; that there were eighty-one vessels convoyed by four 
men-of-war. 

They proved too fleet for Eodgers' vessels, however, and though he 
followed them until within a day's sail of the English Channel he was 
unable to get a sight of their canvas. 

Though the main object of the cruise was not accomplished, the 
squadron had captured seven merchantmen and recaptured an Ameri- 
can trader. After an absence of seventy days the fleet returned to 
Boston. 

Alarmed by the narrow escape of the Belvidera the English gathered 
their ships in force. In July they appeared off New York and were evi- 
dently on the hunt for the Yankee captain. The squadron presented a 
formidable appearance. It was composed of the Africa, of sixty-four 
guns; the Ouerriere, thirty-eight; the Shannon, thirty-eight; the Belvi- 
dera, thirty-six, and the Aeolus, thirty-two. 



COMMODORE DAVID PORTER. 99 

Luckily they failed to fall in with Captain Eodgers. Still they hung 
about the coast, pouncing on all American vessels that came in their 
way. One of these was the little brig Nautilus, mounting fourteen guns. 

Lieutenant Crane had been but one day out of New York when he 
unfortunately ran into the English fleet. There was no use to fight, so 
he made a desperate attempt to escape. The lee guns were thrown over- 
board. Every inch of sail was spread and the tanks were all started. 
Still the little vessel set so low in the water that she was quickly over- 
taken and forced to strike. 

Taking off her oflScers and crew, the British put on another sailing 
force and adopted the little craft into their service. Under her new 
ensign she continued to hover about the coast in company with the Eng- 
lish squadron. 

Commodore Rodgers died in Philadelphia, August 1, 1838. 

COMMODORE DAVID PORTER. 

^ Five generations of the notable Porter family have served in the 
J American navy. Among the renowned members of these sturdy, patri- 
otic households Admiral David Porter is not the least. He was born in 
Boston, Mass., on the first day of February, 1780. 

When nineteen years of age he was appointed midshipman in the 
United States frigate Constellation. After many exciting experiences 
and adventures in which his wonderful skill and genius were displayed, 
he was assigned to the command of the Essex at the beginning of the 
war of 1812. 

When Commodore Rodgers had cleared the harbor in search of the 
Jamaica fleet, Captain David Porter trimmed the sails of the Essex and 
turned her prow to the southward. In the course of a few days, several 
English merchantmen had been captured, their crews taken on board 
and the boats destroyed. 

Just as Porter changed his course to the northward again, the for- 
ward watch reported a fleet of English traders convoyed by a large man- 
of-war and a gunboat. 

''Close the lower ports and clear the decks! Stand by the guns; but 
keep out of the enemy's sight," were the captain's quick commands. 

Thus disguised, the Essex headed for the fleet. Porter soon over- 
hauled the hindmost vessel. 

"Who are you?" he asked. 

"A transport, with British soldiers," came the reply. 



100 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

When he had thus strategically determined the nature of the fleet, 
Porter was anxious to overhaul the convoy and, if possible, take her by 
surprise. 

Pushing ahead in the darkness he came alongside a second vessel. 
Her captain had his suspicions aroused while they were exchanging 
greetings and made ready to signal the fleet that a suspicious stranger 
lay alongside. 

Porter at once showed his real character and unmasked his guns. 

"If you don't strike at once, and so quietly as not to disturb the sus- 
picions of the rest of the fleet, I'll blow you out of the sea," said the 
American captain. 

There was nothing for the Englishman to do, but haul down his 
colors, and an American crew immediately took possession of the trans- 
port, which had a hundred and fifty soldiers on board. 

The capture had occasioned some delay. In the meantime day 
dawned. A surprise was no longer possible, and Porter had to give up 
the idea of capturing the fleet. The transports carried a thousand sol- 
diers and were under the protection of the Minei-va, a sh'p of thirty-six 
guns. 

Captain Porter had been so successful in his guise of merchantman 
that he continued his cruise with his gun-deck ports in, top-gallant 
masts housed, and slovenly trimmed sails. 

His little ruse soon proved effectual. 

A sail appeared in sight. As soon as the Essex was sighted it boldly 
bore down upon her. 

Captain Porter ran up his ensign and held his boat away under short- 
ened sail. 

The stranger, taking the movements to be an effort to escape, hoisted 
the English colors. Taking the weather-quarter she began a hot pursuit, 
firing her bow-chasers as she came on. At this Porter threw off all 
disguise. 

"Open the ports," he commanded the men who had been standing 
by the guns, "and begin firing." 

The enemy were thunderstruck. Gun crews left their places and fled 
below. In eight minutes her ensign was down and Porter was in pos- 
session of his majesty's ship the Alert, carrying twenty guns. 

This was the first capture of a fighting vessel by the Americans since 
the beginning of the war. Its facility surprised the British, and not the 
least the Americans themselves, who had seemingly come to believe in 
the invincibility of the English navy. 



COMMODORE RICHARD DALE. 101 

It was by no means a bloody encounter. On the Alert three men had 
been wounded, while the Essex had not received a scratch. 

The officers of the Alert were severely taken to task for their misfor- 
tune by the British government, and the first lieutenant was cashiered. 

Porter was anxious to get rid of his prize. The prisoners seemed to 
be irritated because they had fallen such easy victims to the Essex, and 
showed a disposition to rise. Accordingly he converted his prize into 
a cartel and sent her into St. Johns. 

The Essex, relieved of her rebellious captive, continued her cruise 
and soon afterwards fell in with two British frigates. Porter, who 
seemed fond of strategy, laid a plan to pick one of them off by boarding 
her during the night. This scheme, however, failed. The night was very 
thick and in the darkness his intended victim gave him the slip. Por- 
ter could not pursue her as he was forced to put into the Delaware for 
supplies. 

As the Alert was the first national vessel of war which had struck 
her colors since the declaration of hostilities the affair was invested with 
peculiar interest to the American people. 

Commodore Porter died in Pera, near Constantinople, Turkey, March 
3, 1843. 

COMMODORE RICHARD DALE 

Commodore Richard Dale was born near Norfolk, Va., November 
6, 1756. After many thrilling adventures and escapes from the British 
authorities, he allied himself with Paul Jones and became first lieuten- 
ant of the Bon Homme Richard. In the famous battle with the Serapis 
he received a severe wound. 

In the engagement of the U. S. vessel, the Trumbull, in August, 1781, 
with the British vessels, the Iris and the Monk, he received his third 
wound. 

He was the commodore of the MediteiTanean squadron during the 
troubles with Tripoli. Lord Nelson, who had closely watched the skill 
displayed by Dale in the mangement of his ships, made the significant 
remark : 

"There is a nucleus of trouble in the handling of these trans-At- 
lantic squadrons for the navy of Great Britain." 

The prophecy was fulfilled when the war of 1812 took place, in 
which Dale did not participate. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., February 
26, 1826. 



103 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

CAPTAIN NICHOLAS BIDDLE, 

Captain Biddle was one of the bravest of the Revolutionary heroes. 
His tragic death cutting him off in the midst of his great usefulness 
lends an added interest to his career. He was bom in Philadelphia 
September 10, 1750. He began his active life upon the sea at the age of 
fourteen. When fifteen years of age he was shipwrecked on a shoal 
called the Northern Triangles, and with three companions was com- 
pelled to remain for nearly two months on one of the small uninhab- 
ited islands near the reef. 

He afterwards made several European voyages in which he ac- 
quired a thorough knowledge of seamanship. 

In 1770 he went to London and entered the British navy as a mid- 
shipman. When an expedition was fitted out under the command of 
the Hon. Captain Phipps, afterwards Lord Mulgrave, for the discovery 
of a northwest oassage into the South Seas, young Biddle greatly de- 
sired to go. 

He went to Captain Stirling, his commanding ofiBcer, to procure per- 
mission for that purpose. 

"I cannot spare you," he said. "Beside, the danger is very great." 

But the adventurous lad thought nothing of the danger of the expedi- 
tion. He did, however, a far more dangerous thing. He left without 
permission, laid aside his uniform, and shipped as a sailor before the 
mast on board one of the vessels, the Carcase. On board he found Hora- 
tio Nelson, England's future greatest naval admiral, who had received 
the coveted permission which had been denied young Biddle. 

Both boys were made cockswains before the voyage was over. 

With the beginning of the Eevolution, Biddle was in active service 
for the Colonies. He was appointed commander of the Andrea Doria, a 
brig of fourteen guns and a hundred and thirty men. Paul Jones, who 
was then a lieutenant, went on the same expedition with Captain Bid- 
dle, who highly appreciated him. 

The Andrea Doria was so successful in capturing vessels that when 
Biddle returned to the Delaware he had but five of his original crew, the 
rest having been placed on prizes. 

He was afterwards placed in command of the Randolph, a frigate 
of thirty-two guns, on June 6, 1776. 

The Randolph when off the shore of South Carolina encountered, on 
March 7, 1777, the British man-of-war Yarmouth, carrying sixty-four 



COMMODORE ALEXANDER MURRAY. 103 

guns. The Randolph was unable to get away from her formidable an- 
tagonist and 80 entered with wonderful energy upon the contest. She 
fired three broadsides to the enemy's one, and while the battle lasted 
appeared to be in a constant blaze. 

Captain Biddle was wounded soon after the engagement began. The 
surgeon came to examine him. While in the act of so doing and within 
twenty minutes of the opening of the fight the Randolph blew up. 

Out of the three hundred and fifteen persons on board all perished 
except four men, who were tossed about on a portion of the wreck before 
they were taken up. The gallant captain went down with his crew. 

COMMODORE ALEXANDER MURRAY. 

This brave naval ofiicer was born in Chestertown, Maryland, July 
12, 1755. ne first served as captain in the Continental army in the 
Maryland regiments, taking a conspicuous part in several hard fought 
battles. 

He afterward entered upon a seafaring life, engaging in privateering. 
He was a lieutenant along with Dale on the Trumbull and received a 
severe wound during its engagement with the Iris and the Monk. 

The Trumbull was towed the next day into New York without a 
mast standing and several of her gun-ports beaten into one. 

When the Revolutionary war terminated he had taken part in thir- 
teen engagements on sea and shore. 

While in command of the Mediterranean squadron in 1820, with his 
flagship alone, the Constellation, he fought seventeen Tripolitan gun- 
boats and drove them into the harbor. 

He joined with the British Admiral at the latter's request in receiv- 
ing with honor the Duke of Kent in the harbor of Malaga. He died 
October 6, 1820, in Philadelphia. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ADMIRAL DAVID G. FARRAGUT. 

David Glasgoe Farragut was born at Campbell's Station, Tennessee, 
in 1801. His father was a native of Minorca Island, in the Mediter- 
ranean, but emigrated to the United States in 1776. 

David was a lad of abnormal precocity. At nine years of age his 
father gratified his longing to be a sailor. Through the interest of his 
father's friend, Captain Porter, David secured a warrant as midshipman. 
He at once joined his ship and made several cruises under Captain Por- 
ter, though he was scarcely big enough to climb the rigging. 

When the war of 1812 broke out Porter, as we have seen, was placed 
in command of the Essex. Young Farragut, now eleven years old, ac- 
companied him. His first baptism of fire was received in the battle with 
the Alei-t. In eight minutes he saw this sloop of war, of twenty guns, 
strike her colors to Captain Porter. 

Again Farragut was with Porter in his memorable cruise of a year in 
the Pacific. In the desperate encounter with the Phoebe and Cherub 
Farragut was a man in all but years. He bore himself with courage and 
coolness through all the two hours of terrible carnage. 

It was in this battle that Farragut learned how to fight. 

Porter made special mention of his young protege to the secretary 
of the navy. The lad had fairly won a lieutenant's commission at twelve 
years of age, and it was with evident regret that Porter was compelled 
to add, in spite of his gallant conduct, "too young for promotion." 

Farragut now enjoyed a brief school experience, but was sent to 
the MediteiTanean in 1816. From this time he was almost constantly 
in active service. Promotion, however, comes slowly in times of peace, 
and he waited until 1825 for his lieutenancy. In 1811 he was made 
commander; and in 1851, captain. 

Forty-one years of service, in which he had sailed on every sea and 
visited almost every country, had been necessary to gain this grade. 

When the Civil War broke out Farragut was living in Norfolk. He 
was a Southerner by birth and had married a Southern lady. It was sup- 

104 



ADMIRAL DAVID G. FARRAGUT. 105 

posed, therefore, that he would cast in his lot with his people, as so many 
Southern officers had done. But he loyally declared: 

''I have no intention of abandoning that service in which I have lived 
from childhood to old age." 

"With such views," replied his friends, "it will be dangerous for you 
to live in the South." 

"Very well," he resolutely answered, "I will then go where I can live 
with such sentiments." 

When the Federal Government undertook to capture New Orleans in 
the fall of 1861, Captain Farragut, who was promoted to the grade of flag 
officer, was put in command of the naval expedition. 

A powerful fort on either bank guarded the passage to the city. 
These forts were armed with one hundred and twenty-eight heavy guns, 
and garrisoned by fifteen hundred Confederate troops. A heavy chain, 
supported on sunken hulks, blocked the stream, while above the forts lay 
a fleet of seventeen vessels. 

Farragut had six war steamers, sixteen gunboats, five other ships, 
and twenty-one mortars. 

"You can never hope to get by the Southern batteries," said the 
officer of a French man-of-war, who had been to New Orleans. 

"I am ordered to go to New Orleans," replied Farragut, "and I intend 
to do so." 

For a week the gunboats threw shells at the forts, to no effect. Far- 
ragut saw that he must watch his chance and run by. 

"Whatever is to be done," he told his officers, "must be done quickly." 

On the night of April 21st the chain across the river was cut, leaving 
a wide gap for the passage of the fleet. Three nights later the fleet was 
swinging idly at anchor in midstream. At two o'clock, two red lanterns 
slowly ascended to the peak of the flagship's mizzenmast. 

It was the expected signal for close action. 

In two columns the fleet steamed up the river. The vessels were 
hardly under way before the watchful Confederates opened fire. The 
boats answered gun for gun, as they steadily advanced, the flagship 
leading the way with the signal for close action still flying at her mizzen- 
top. 

It was a sublime sight. Fierce flashes of guns lighted the river and 
forts, which had become more deeply shrouded by volumes of smoke. 

Suddenly a blaze of flame lighted the river. It was a fire raft sent 
down the stream. The flagship turns her head to avoid the danger and 
in a moment is aground. 



106 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

The fire raft, as if instinct with reason, floats alongside. Tarragut, 
with infinite coolness, keeps the men at the guns. The firemen fight the 
flames that blaze in the Hartford's rigging. 

The engines are reversed, and hy a powerful effort the boat backs into 
deep water. The firemen continue to fight the flames until they are sub- 
dued. The fleet moves steadily on and finally it is past the forts. 

But the battle is not yet won. The Confederate fleet lies waiting 
above. A desperate conflict ensues; but when the morning sun break* 
through the smoke and mists nothing longer obstructs the Union fleet. 
Thirteen out of seventeen of the Confederate vessels have been sunk or 
burned. A thrilling shout goes up from the fleet of the victorious 
Farragut. 

After the surrender of New Orleans Farragut ascended the river to 
take part in the operations against Vicksburg. Twice he passed the 
forts which guarded that place, but was unable to reduce them, though 
his fleet lay for two hours before the works, pouring in a continuous hail 
of shot and shell. Farragut then returned to New Orleans. 

Grant at length turned his military eye on Vicksburg and determined 
that it must be taken. Farragut Avas ordered to co-operate with his 
fleet. To do this he must pass Port Uudson, one hundred miles below 
Vicksburg, which had been strongly fortified by the Confederates. 

Batteries lined the banks for four miles. To pass these was the sever- 
est test to which a wooden fleet had ever been subjected. 

On the 17th of March FaiTagut made the attempt. All day the mor- 
tar boats engaged the lower batteries. When night came on he lashed 
his ships in pairs and started to run the awful gauntlet. 

The Confederates had made ample preparation. As soon as the fleet 
started, bonfires were lighted, which illuminated the river with a noon- 
day brightness. The Union vessels became conspicuous marks. 

On the other hand the smoke from the guns on the boats obscured 
the river so that there was constant danger of collision. An officer stood 
at each prow straining his eyes to direct the vessel's course through the 
thickening gloom. 

For an hour and a half the battle raged. The roar of cannon was 
deafening. At last the flagship Hartford, and her consort, emerged 
from the awful fire and passed into the river above. But they were 
alone. The rest of the fleet was driven back crippled and disabled. 

In March, 1863, the rank of Rear Admiral was created by a special act 
of Congress. President Lincoln bestowed this high honor upon Far- 



ADMIRAL DAVID G. FARRAGUT. 107 

ragut with the words, "As a reward for your gallant and meritorious 
services during the war." 

In January, 18G4, Farragut sailed for Mobile Bay to take part in the 
operations against its defenses. 

In the latter part of July the Rear Admiral felt himself strong enough 
to pass the two granite forts, Morgan and Gaines, and give battle to the 
Confederate fleet within the harbor. 

Knowing that the smoke would be dense over the water, the Admiral 
lashed himself to the maintop to get a view of the entire conflict. 

Forts and batteries opened fire, but the broadsides from the fleet 
drove the men from their guns and the Union fleet sailed on hy. 

Just at this time the Tecumseh struck a torpedo and went to the 
bottom with all on board. The Brooklyn, the next in line, began to 
back to avoid the mines, and threatened to break up the line of advance. 
Farragut saw the danger, and, regardless of torpedoes, pushed ahead 
and led the fleet into the bay. 

The Confederate mail-clad ram, Tennessee, now made a dash at the 
Hartford, but turned again towards the protection of the forts. Farra- 
gut thought the battle was over, and sent his light vessels in pursuit of 
the gunboats. 

At this juncture, the Tennessee again left her place of refuge. Her 
intention seemed to be to sink the flagship. Every available Union ves- 
sel was ordered to open fire on her or run her down. It was of no avail. 

One after another the Union boats dealt the Tennessee a heavy blow. 
All were forced to withdraw seriously crippled, while the ram kept on 
uninjured. 

The fortune of the day now hung on the flagship. Putting on all 
steam she headed for her invincible antagonist, but the Tennessee 
sheered and received a glancing blow. 

Broadside after broadside was poured on the protected ram without 
making any impression. The wooden walls of the Hartford were cut 
down to within two feet of the water. She was supposed to be sinking. 

"Save the Admiral!" was the cry. "Get the Admiral out of the ship I" 

But the Admiral from his lofty position saw that his shiu was safe 
and gave the order: 

"Put the boat about and ram the Tennessee again." 

The converging fire of the whole Federal fleet had wrought havoc 
on the ram Tennessee. As the Hartford, a second time, swept down 
upon her, her plucky captain reluctantly lowered his flag and the bat- 
tle was over. 



108 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Farragut's loss In this desperate contest had been two hundred and 
twenty killed and wounded. He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Ad- 
miral and presented with a gift of fifty thousand dollars by the citizens 
of New York. 

In July, 1866, when Congress created the full rank of Admiral, he 
was promoted to that grade by the President. 

Admiral Farragut died August 14, 1870, at the age of sixty-nine. His 
body lies interred in the beautiful Woodlawn Cemetery in New York 
City. 

Fit to rank with England's great naval commander, Lord Horatio 
Nelson, the "Hero of Trafalgar," is America's great Admiral David 
Glasgoe Farragut, "Old Heart of Oak!" 

ADMIRAL DAVID D. PORTER. 

Admiral David Dixon Porter was born in Chester, Delaware County, 
Pa., June 8, 1813. He entered the U. S. navy as midshipman February 
2, 1829. He was on a vessel which cruised on the Mediterranean for 
quite a period. He then served on the coast survey until he was pro- 
moted to lieutenant February 27, 1841. He served successively on the 
Mediterranean and Brazilian waters, at the naval observatory at Wash- 
ington and during the Mexican war. During the Civil war he rendered 
most efficient service. 

When General Banks was operating against the Confederates in 
Texas, he had need of the Mississippi squadron to aid his efforts in the 
Red River region. Admiral Porter was accordingly dispatched to his 
aid with fifteen gunboats, three light steamboats, and transports filled 
with soldiers. 

Arriving too late to take part in the capture of Fort de Russy, Por- 
ter set off for Grand Ecore. Here he turned the flat boats over to Gen- 
eral Banks and with the rest of the fleet turned towards Shreveport. 

The stream was full of snags, logs, and sand-bars which made prog- 
ress very slow. During the frequent delays Porter desired the use of a 
horse, and so expressed himself to Gorringe, the captain of the flagship. 
In less than three hours Gorringe reported to the Admiral and turned 
over to him a fine black animal. 

As the Admiral rode out that evening he met the lady who owned 
the horse. 

"Are you enjoying your ride?" she asked bitterly, and added, "I 
hope you will be good enough to return the horse before you leave." 



'ADMIRAL DAVID D. PORTER. 109 

The next day Porter rode down to the house to return the horse and 
thank the lady for the use of it. She met him with a long story about 
''that old thief of an Admiral," whom she did not know by sight. 

She said she had raised twenty-two bales of cotton. General Kirby 
Smith was to pay her ten cents a pound for it, and pass it through the 
Union lines. This would bring her in thirteen hundred and twenty 
dollars. 

"But in comes that old skinflint of an Admiral," she said, "and steals 
all my cotton, hams, and sugar and sends them on board his vessel." 

"Do you know the name of the vessel and the captain?" asked 
Porter. 

She said she did, and gave the names. Porter sent word to the cap- 
tain that he would give him four hours to return the things. 

The next day the lady was profuse in her thanks. 

"I'll give you a horse fit for a king," she said. 

"Sell him to me. I don't take gifts; or, better, lend him to me,'' said 
Porter. 

"But there is one thing you must do," said the unsuspecting lady; 
"you must give me your name." 

"If you will give me pen and paper I will write it for you," said 
Porter. 

Then her guest wrote out his name in full — "Admiral David D. Por- 
ter, the great old thief of the widow and orphan." 

After leaving Grand Ecore the fleet was surprised by a heavy attack 
from shore batteries. 

"Give those fellows a two-second shell, Gorringe,'' said the Admiral; 
"and another," he added, as the first sent the enemy flying. 

But the Confederate fire was very deadly. The flagship was shaken 
by a shower of shells. Gorringe, who was the skilful engineer that 
brought from Egypt the obelisk which now stands in Central Park, New 
York, was seriously wounded in the head. 

"I'm all right," he said to the Admiral, "I won't give up the wheel." 

The men at the howitzers had all been killed or wounded. Springing 
forward. Porter ordered some slaves, who had come on board at Grand 
Ecore, to follow him. 

"Fire the guns off!" he shouted. "Don't let them think that we are 
hurt." 

So the black men kept one gun in action; but no one was left to fire 
another. The engineer was dead with his hand on the throttle, which 

8 



110 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

his (lying agonies had closed. Porter again set the engine in motion and 
the boat passed on out of danger. 

At Alexandria there was not water enough to carry the fleet over the 
falls. In eight days Porter, at the suggestion and with the aid of Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Bailey, of Wisconsin, had built a dam seven hundred and 
fifty-eight feet long and raised the water sufficiently high to float the 
boats. 

Colonel Bailey was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general for the 
valuable assistance he gave the navy at this time. 

Porter had been with Farragut when he made his famous trip up 
the river to New Orleans, and as commander of the gunboats he shared 
with him in the glories of that daring exploit. 

At Vicksburg he had aided in the naval operations, in connection 
with its siege, and finally, when Farragut took command of the Gulf 
squadron, Porter was left in charge of the important movements on the 
Mississippi. 

Later in the war, when he was transferred to the Atlantic coast, he 
urged the famous attack on Fort Fisher. On January 13, 1S05, the con- 
flict began. Shells hissed through the air, blazed and flashed, then 
burst with fearful noise and shock. Great clouds of smoke and sand hid 
the fort from sight, but the Confederate flag still wavetl. 

Darkness came on and the storm of battle lulled. With the morning 
light, sixteen hundred sailors and four hundred marines were sent 
ashore. 

"Board the sea face, while the troops assault the land side," was the 
Admiral's order. 

A storm of shells and grape shot was launched into the faces of the 
marines. Twice they were swept back, and twice they rallied to front 
the hill that seemed one mass of repellant fire. 

The bodies of the brave fellows who had fallen covered the bloody 
beach. Till darkness came on the surviving heroes held their ground. 
Then, when the enemy could no longer see them, the little handful that 
remained forced their way into the fort. Soon the white flag was raised 
by the besieged in token of surrender. 

This was one of the closing scenes of the war. The army and navy 
had joined hands in this last attack, and the Union fleet added imperish- 
able laurels to the fame of its commander, the gallant and dashing 
Porter. 



LIEUTENANT WILLIAM BARKER GUSHING. Ill 



LIEUTENANT WILLIAM BARKER GUSHING. 

The Civil war disclosed a host of lieroes. Few attained the undy- 
ing fame of Lieutenant William B. Gushing. He was born in Wisconsin, 
November 24, 1842, and was appointed to the naval academy from New 
York in 1857. 

His daring exploits and hairbreadth escapes in the naval service 
soon gave him high rank as one of the most fearless of young men. He 
faced Gonfederate lead and iron with seeming immunity, and placed 
himself almost in the hands of his enemies, yet without capture. 

In February, 1864, Gushing was with the blockading fleet off Wil- 
mington, in command of the Monticello. The dull routine of blockade 
duty grew irksome and he sought diversion in a daring raid up the river. 

Ensign Jones and Master's Mate Howarth, with twenty men, formed 
the party. He chose a dark night, and with two boats, stole quietly 
past the Confederate forts and up the river to Smithville. His object 
v\'as to land at the town, seize the commanding oflScer, and, boarding 
what vessels he might find in the harbor, run them down the river. 

Hiding the men and two boats under the bank he went off alone. 
Some slaves gave Gushing the information he desired and he returned to 
the shore. 

He now set off with the two officers and a sailor for the Gonfederate 
general's headquarters. These were directly in front of the barracks, 
where there were a thousand men, who might easily have shot or cap- 
tured the rash young lieutenant and his companions. 

It so happened that there were no Confederate boats then at the 
wharf. General Herbert, too, was away and the adjutant-general took 
to the woods. However, Gushing seized upou an officer of inferior rank 
and took him to his boats, passing within pistol shot of the sentry on 
the wharf. 

The adjutant, who had forgotten, in his haste, to call out the troops, 
now signaled to the forts that vessels were in the harbor. 

Before the guns could open fire Gushing and his men were safe on 
board the Monticello. 

Four months later Gushing again set out on a night foray. Jones 
and Howarth and fifteen men made up the party. Taking one of the 
Monticello's small boats Gushing headed for Wilmington. 

Suddenly the moon, which had beeu thickly obscured, came out and 
disclosed the boat to the sentries on the shore. Gushing at once turned 



112 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

in towards the bank where the shadows hid them. Thus he worked his 
way quietly to within seven miles of the city. 

Hiding the boat in the swamp, the men kept out of sight all day. At 
night Gushing was on the move. He captured two boat-loads of fisher- 
men and made them act as guides. All night he spent in studying how 
the river was blockaded below the town, and at daybreak again went 
into hiding. 

When the men were safely concealed, he struck off for the main road 
between Wilmington and Fort Fisher. Here he lay in wait to see what 
he might capture. 

Soon came a horseman with the mail from the fort. Gushing seized 
mail, horse, and man, and returned to the boats. Disguising Howarth in 
the mail-man's clothes, he sent him on a successful trip for food. When 
night came on they started for the Monticello. 

Gushing had nearly reached the harbor when he was seen by a guard 
boat. He made ready to attack her, but at that moment three others 
came out of the shadows of the shore, and five more from the other side. 

Gushing now turned his boat towards the only place left open. Here 
he beheld a schooner filled with troops. 

It seemed as if his boat was losti 

But Gushing's pluck did not fail him. Quickly turning his boat he 
made a dash towards the bar on the west. The enemy tried to head him 
off, but the young lieutenant dodged them in the shadows and then sped 
for the harbor. 

The men were as cool as their lieutenant. The oars kept perfect time, 
and at each stroke the boat was farther and farther from danger. 

These exploits were an unpremeditated training for the heroic deed 
of blowing up the Albemarle, the noted Confederate ram. 

This formidable vessel had been creating havoc with the Union 
boats. Nothing could withstand her crushing onset, and shot and shell 
made no impre.ssion on her iron sides. 

The authorities at Washington knew that another like boat was 
building, and if completed the two would be able to destroy all the gun- 
boats of the Federal government. 

Young Gushing, meantime, had been thinking. 

The result of his cogitation was a plan which he submitted to Ad- 
miral Lee. This plan was to rig a spar, with a hundred pounds of dyna- 
mite at the end, to the bow of a swift steam launch; sail the boat up 
the Roanoke at night, and, making for the Albemarle, lower the spar 
and explode the charge under her hull. 



LIEUTENANT WILLIAM BARKER GUSHING. 113 

Gushing was chosen for the dangerous and seemingly hopeless task. 
He was known to be cool and brave. He said he wanted but seven men 
to go with him. All knew that it was a desperate chance, that in all 
probability none of them would return; but this seemed only to stimu- 
late their zeal. 

All was made ready. The spar was fourteen feet long and could be 
lowered by a rope, beneath the water. With another rope the dynamite 
could be detached, and by a third the charge could be exploded. 

The ram lay at Plymouth, eight miles up the river. Confederate sen- 
tinels patrolled the banks. Batteries were ready to blow the daring 
adventurers out of the water at a fair shot. 

Gushing knew all this, but felt no fear. 

It was about midnight when the boat started on her voyage of de- 
struction. Each man of his crew had his place and knew his duty. 
Gushing stood on the deck to work the ropes that would guide and ex- 
plode the huge torpedo. 

His original plan was to land at the wharf, board the Albemarle and 
run her off down the river. For the execution of this scheme he had 
brought two boat loads of men in tow. If he should be unable to sur- 
prise the Gonfederates he would then use the torpedo. 

As he now turned in to the wharf his boat was seen. 

"What boat goes there?" came from the Albemarle. 

No answer. 

"What boat goes there?" came louder and sharper than before. 

Still no answer; but Cushing's thoughts were working fast. 

"Gast off!" he said quietly to the men in the two boats that he had 
been towing. Slowly they drifted away. 

Muskets began to flash from shore and from the ports of the Albe- 
marle. He could hear the hurried orders given on the ironclad. Bullets 
whizzed past him. 

"Ahead fast!" He gave this command and the launch dashed for the 
ram. But a chain of logs had been placed about the vessel to protect 
her from just such an attack. 

Gushing never for a moment lost his head. His ready wit had in- 
stantly solved the problem. He would back out into the river and with 
all steam on drive for the logs. The prow would glide over the timbers 
that had become slippery from lying in the water and he could then get 
at the ram. 

"Put the helm about." Gushing said to the man at the tiller; "circle 



114 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

out into the stream till the spar points straight for the ironclad and then 
run for her full tilt." 

He knew that once over the logs he could never return with the 
boat. It was even doubtful if he ever got over. Muskets were flashing; 
a ball went through the back of his coat; another tore away the sole of 
his shoe. But there was no hesitation. 

"What boat goes there?" again came from the Albemarle. 

Gushing sent a charge of canister from the howitzer in the bow as 
a reply. 

The launch is over the logs! 

"Leave the ram! We're going to blow you up!'' shouted the young 
lieutenant. 

Before him yawned the gloomy muzzle of a cannon, but he did not 
flinch. The spar dropped, dishing pulled the cord to detach the torpedo. 
Then a pause. A bullet wounded him in the hand. Just as a cannon 
flashed within two yards of his face he pulled the third coil. 

The Albemarle gave a lurch; the water rose in a great column and 
the Albemarle settled, never to rise to battle again. 

"Surrender! surrender!" cried the enemy! 

"Save yourselves, men," said Gushing, and taking off coat, shoes, and 
side arms led the way into the water. The Confederates were soon out 
in boats to capture them. As the swimmers neared the farther shore 
one man went down; the remainder of the crew w'ere captured. Gush- 
ing alone escaped. 

As the boats passed and repassed him ho heard the voices of his pur- 
suers, but they could not see him. Weak and chilled he climbed the 
bank on the farther side. 

Past sentinels and search parties he crawled on his face to a marsh. 
By daylight he had worked his way through this into comparative 
safety. Meeting a negro. Gushing bribed him to go to Plymouth and 
learn what damage had been done. When the man came back he 
reported : 

"Massa, she's got a hole in her side, big enough to dribe a two-boss 
wagin in." 

Gushing now struck out for the Union fleet. Goming to a little creek 
he stole a boat. At dark he came into the Boanoke. He was weary for 
want of food and from the tense excitement of the last twenty-four 
hours. Still he kept on going. At midnight he sighted a vessel. 

"Ship ahoy!" he shouted with all the strength he had left. 

"Valley Gity," came the welcome response from the watch on deck. 



LIEUTENANT WILLIAM BARKER GUSHING. 115 

A cheer such as only sailors can give, went up from the deck as they 
lifted his exhausted form on board. No one supposed that Lieutenant 
Gushing was alive or that his exploit was a success. The hardy men 
looked with astonished pride upon his face and listened eagerly to the 
recital of his thrilling story. 

For completeness, skill and success the destruction of the Albemarle 
has no parallel in the annals of history. The cool, bold, daring author 
and executioner of the plan was at this time but twenty-one years of 
age. 

Lieutenant Gushing died in Washington, D. G., December 17, 1S74, 
at the age of thirty-two. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ADMIRAL WILLIAM T. SAMPSON. 

Like many other notable men William T. Sampson appears to have 
inherited his mentality very largely from his mother. Although she 
was the wife of an ordinary day laborer and her time was fully occu- 
pied with household cares, she has a face which is expressive of great 
refinement and rare sweetness. Her little troop of eight children were 
tenderly cared for and trained in the ways of wisdom and righteousness. 

The elder Sampson was an Irish immigrant who came to York State 
in 1836 and settled on the bank of the Erie canal near Palmyra. He 
made a scanty living for his family by digging ditches, sawing wood, or 
doing any other odd jobs that might come in his way. He appears to 
have been a man of clean habits and honest purpose, but it was the 
mother who thirsted for knowledge, especially for her children, and 
it was she who placed in their hands every standard work within her 
reach. 

In 1840 William, her first child, was born, and he was the "heir 
apparent" to a heritage of hard work and privation. At that time edu- 
cational advantages even in central New York were still in a somewhat 
primitive condition, and the boy's early lessons were in the manual 
training school where the pickaxe and shovel were the practical imple- 
ments of development. 

The mother, however, was willing to assume any possible burden 
rather than to have her children deprived of their educational privi- 
leges, such as they were, so William soon found his place in the school 
room where he worked faithfully during the short terms, and during 
the vacations supplemented his father's efforts by any manual labor 
that offered itself, sometimes working in a brick yard for twenty-five 
cents a day. 

During his seventeenth year there was a vacancy in the Naval Acad- 
emy and two boys of influential parentage were talked of for the 
position. It is a well known fact that these places are generally used 
by congressmen for the strengthening of their own political positions, 
and the closing up of the ranks in their party lines, but fortunately for 
the ditch-digger's son, the mothers of the other boys refused to allow 

IIG 



ADMIRAL WILLIAM T. SAMPSON. 117 

them to enter the naval ranks, and Congressman Morgan, of Aurora, 
then asked the principal of the Palmyra school who was his brightest 
pupil. The name of Wm. T. Sampson was given, but his father ob- 
jected, for the boy was now old enough to do a man's work and his 
strong arms were needed for the support of the family. 

The mother, however, came to the rescue, and crowding back the 
tears that would come at the thought of his long and perhaps con- 
tinued absence, she pleaded his cause so earnestly that the case was 
won, and it so happened that when his official appointment came the 
future Admiral of the United States Navy was developing a sturdy 
manhood by digging a ditch connected with some public improvement 
in the streets of Palmyra. 

Thus it was that the first time the boy left his native town it was 
to be thrown into a class of a hundred young men in the Naval Acad- 
emy. Here he did faithful work, fighting desperately all through the 
course for the first place, which he won at last, and was graduated at 
the head of his class. His methods of work were steady — he went at 
his subjects with the same dogged persistency with which he would 
dig a ditch; and when completed, the job was thoroughly done. 

During his first furlough the young midshipman went cheerfully 
to work helping his father at the old employments, carrying the saw- 
buck on his shoulder, even while he wore the first overcoat he had ever 
owned — the one which he drew with his uniform as a cadet. It was 
during this first furlough that there was some question in snobbish 
circles as to whether it would be proper to invite to social functions 
a young man who, although wearing the naval uniform of the United 
States, still persisted in humble menial occupation, but the nobler ele- 
ment prevailed and it was at one of these parties that young Sampson 
met Miss Margaret Aldrich, who became his wife only three years later. 

His home life is unpretentious and attended with much real happi- 
ness. He is the father of two sons still in their minority, and he has 
four womanly daughters, two of whom have married naval officers. The 
Admiral is now living with his second wife, Margaret having died in 
1878. 

He was married four years afterward to Miss Elizabeth Burling. 
His wife claims that he is never violently angry and never in a hurry — 
a certain evenness of temper and calm deliberation marking all his 
movements. 

After his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1861 he was ap- 
pointed a master and one year later became a lieutenant and was 



118 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

assigned to an old sailing ship which was then used as a practice-ship 
for the naval cadets. 

The country was even now in the throes of Civil War and Sampson 
was anxious for practical service under the "Stars and Stripes." The 
opportunity soon came and he was assigned to the ironclad "Patapsco," 
then doing blockade duty off the coast of Charleston. Near the close 
of the war his ship was blown up by a torpedo from the hand of the 
enemy and every officer in the forward wardroom was instantly killed. 
The Captain, however, stepped into one of the boats which floated as 
the ship sank. Sampson, springing to a boarding netting, his foot 
caught in one of the meshes and he was carried down with the sinking 
ship, but when the terrible downward strain was partly over he slipped 
his foot out, rose to the surface and was rescued. 

After the war was over he was sent on several long cruises but they 
were interspersed with some years of shore duty. During this time he 
was for five years connected with the Naval Academy as instructor, 
and in 1886 he became the superintendent. This work covered the de- 
partments of chemistry, metallurgy, physics and astronomy. His faith- 
fulness in technical details became so well known that he was often 
assigned to important special duties, and also to the direction of some 
of the government's great business institutions. 

From 1S93 to 1897, as chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, he directed 
the expenditure of about |6,000,000 every year. His scientific attain- 
ments found ample scope here, and at the Naval Gun Factory, where 
he was the superintendent in 1892. 

In 1897 Sampson was ordered to the command of the Iowa, a ship 
with the construction of which he had been closely identified, and the 
next year found him second in command on the North Atlantic Squad- 
ron. Soon afterward Admiral Sicard was compelled to retire on ac- 
count of failing health and thus William T. Sampson became the com- 
mander-in-chief, being at once appointed to that position. 

His faithfulness in the whole campaign and especially during the 
long and trying blockade is fully recognized — a faithfulness constantly 
on the alert during the weeks of duty under a tropical sun and in the 
face of a wily and powerful foe. It was not his good fortune to be 
in at the death, but his whole command had long been ready for any 
emergency and splendidly did the great battleships and their heroic 
men come to the front when the opportunity was given. 

The terrible battle off Santiago will always be remembered as one 



REAR-ADMIRAL IVINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY. 119 

of the sublimest sea fights, and one of the most brilliant victories known 
to history. 

REAR-ADMIRAL WIXFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY. 

"Maryland, luy Maryland," is the home of Rear-Admiral Schley. A 
native of the State that also gave to the world the author of our national 
anthem, he was born in sight of Mount Vernon. Like many other emi- 
nent men, he is a son of the soil, and his early years were spent on the 
great farm of three hundred acres or more, four miles north of Frederick 
City. The founder of the house of Schley in America was Thomas, who 
was an Alsatian by descent but who made his home in the town of Fred- 
erick, Maryland, in the latter portion of the eighteenth century. One 
of his sons was John T. Schley, who married a beautiful Baltimore 
girl by the name of Virginia McClure. Five children were born to this 
family, the little boy who came to them in 1840 being now a man whom 
all America delights to honor. 

John T. Schley was a great admirer and personal friend of General 
Winfield Scott, and when the new baby was only a few days old, the 
venerable general made a visit to the Maryland farm, spending a few 
days with his friend, and while he was there the boy was christened 
with the name of Winfield Scott Schley in honor of the distinguished 
guest. 

Scott, as he was usually called, grew into a vigorous and assertive 
lad who was full of fun and mischief — a veritable "barefoot boy," from 
the ranks of which the brightest lights in the world of letters and of 
scholars, as well as the most brainy of our business men, have come. 
Aside from his home training, the little fellow traveled nearly two miles 
each way to a very ordinary country school where he learned the rudi- 
ments of letters and a great number of things which were not set down 
in the regular curriculum. 

Wide awake and full of mischief, he soon became the leader of the 
clan of small boys who so readily inspired the neighborhood with a con- 
viction that some of them would come to a very bad end. To his credit 
be it said, however, his fun was innocent and jolly, although the victims 
of some of his harmless pranks were wont to "prophesy evil concerning 
him." He was fond of fishing and spent many days wandering along 
the banks of the Monocacy River, throwing his bait into the stream 
and filling his lungs with the fresh air which helped to lay the founda- 
tion of that tough and wiry physique which still serves him so well. 



120 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

His first great sorrow came tu hiia iu the death of his beautiful 
mother, who left her little ones when Scott was only a little over twelve 
years of age. His father afterward married again, but it seldom falls 
to the lot of a bereft family to find another mother iu the truest sense 
of the word. The new incumbent of the position in the Schley family 
must have been a failure in some ways, as her administration resulted 
in a division of the little flock. 

When about sixteen years of age the youth was appointed cadet to 
the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, September 20, 1856, 
and he made an exemplary student so far as actual work was concerned, 
but here, as elsewhere, he did not forget that there are other desirable 
things in a pupil's life besides study. 

He was fond of society and popular with the girls as well as with 
the young men. He was a graceful dancer, and almost a dandy in his 
fastidious and dainty attire. 

He completed his Academic course in 1860 and was soon after 
assigned to duty on the United States ship Niagara with the rank of a 
midshipman. This was the beginning of those long and weary voyages 
which have taken him away from home and friends during the greater 
portion of his life. No wonder that he once said with great pathos: 

"Many years of my life have been spent away from home, with 
nothing of my country to bow to, but its glorious flag." 

There were many things which grievously tried his patience on this, 
his first voyage, for his young blood was often fretted with the severe 
lessons of discipline which were now reduced to actual practice. Almost 
the first service of the Niagara after he was assigned to her was the 
taking home of the members of the Japanese embassy. 

Before the Niagara returned from this long voyage, the great Re- 
public was quivering with the shock of secession, and omens of a terri- 
ble fratricidal war were darkening the whole horizon. No news of the 
coming strife had reached the ship speeding on her homeward way, until 
an American port was reached and the pilot came on board. 

"What is the news?" was the eager question to the first man from 
the shore. 

"A big war is on us," he answered, "the Southern troops have fired 
on Fort Sumter, and the whole country is crazy with excitement." 

This news of fearful import was received with consternation, but 
under it all was a deep feeling of patriotism and a firm resolve to meet 
the crisis in a manly way, let the cost be what it would. There were 
men from the South as well as from the North who were doing duty 



REAR-ADMIRAL WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY. 121 

under the Stars and Stripes — men who never knew until that niomenr 
that one section of their country had been arrayed against another por- 
tion of home and native land. 

The commander of the Niagara called his officers into the cabin for 
consultation, and there drew up a declaration of loyalty, asking all who 
proposed to stand by the old flag to sign their names. 

Many did so, and one of the first names on that roll of honor was 
that of Winfield Scott Schley, of Maryland. 

The later and perhaps more striking victories of our navy should 
not lead the American people to forgetfulness of the splendid service 
in this department during the Civil War. 

When Greek meets Greek, or American meets American, a terrible 
conflict must result. 

The brain and brawn, the nerve and grit of the Anglo-Saxon race 
form the very bone and sinew of gallant fighting, and when it comes in 
contact with itself — when ''men of the self-same clan" are arrayed 
against each other, the onslaught is terrific. 

The achievements of Farragut's fleet will always remain among the 
most brilliant naval victories in history, and it was during the mem- 
orable summer of 1864 that three of our naval heroes received their 
baptism of blood under the leadership of Farragut. 

George Dewey, then Lieutenant Dewey, was the executive officer of 
the Mississippi, and Admiral Watson, who has succeeded Dewey as 
commander of the Asiatic squadron, was Farragut's flag lieutenant, 
and was most highly commended by his superior officers for his gal- 
lantry during action. 

When Winfield Scott Schley left the Niagara he was advanced to 
the rank of lieutenant (July 16, 1862) and made the executive officer 
of the Owasco, which proved to be one of the most effective gunboats 
in the famous Gulf Squadron. 

At the battle of Mobile he stood on the forward deck, betravins 
some of the natural nervousness of a young officer who was exposed 
for the first time to the range of the enemy's bullets, when the man 
beside him said: 

"Something tells me that the shot has never been cast that is go- 
ing to hit me." 

"I wish I could share your confidence," replied Schley. 

But the next day the brave fellow who had been so sure of safety 
was struck in the neck by a solid shot and his head was severed from 
his bodv. 



122 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Unfortunately the commander of the Owasco -was a man who in- 
dulged in what he called "moderate drinking," and this habit then as 
now led to the ruined manhood of the victim. Even during the trying 
times when the need of the country demanded that every man in her 
service should be constantly at his best, this man is said to have been 
careless and criminal enough to be more than once the worse for his 
indulgence. 

After his patience had been severely tried in this direction Schley 
resolved upon measures sufficiently radical to serve at least as a warn- 
ing, and he ordered the arrest of the commanding officer, locking him 
up in his cabin until he should again be fit for duty. 

While he was thus laid up for repairs Schley was in command, and 
taking the captain's gig with the captain's pennant flying in the breeze, 
he put out for the Richmond. The ships were then stationed off Mo- 
bile, and the senior officer of the small squadron of which the Owasco 
formed a part was Captain James Alden. 

Seeing the approach of the captain's gig Officer James put on his 
uniform and made preparations to receive the captain in a style be- 
fitting his rank. 

When Lieutenant Schley boarded the Richmond the captain said: 

''I expected to see the captain of the Owasco." 

"I am at present the commander of that ship, sir," replied Schley. 

"Since when?" demanded Alden. 

"Since I ordered the captain's arrest for drunkenness and locked 
him up in the cabin an hour or more ago," answered Schley. "I am 
now in command and I report to you for orders." 

Alden was nonplussed for a moment at the assurance of the young 
officer, then giving him his first order, he told him to lower the pen- 
nant on the gig, go back to his ship, unlock his temporary prisoner, 
and then, if his incapacity still continued, make his report in writing. 

Very unwillingly, but very promptly, this order was obeyed, and 
although his action was somewhat futile, it is to be hoped that the 
joke (if it was one) at least served as a warning to the commanding 
officer. 

While still a student in the Naval Academy young Schley formed 
the acquaintance of a beautiful Southern girl who was the daughter 
of one of the merchants in Annapolis. When he sailed away in the 
Niagara he carried her image in his heart, and when he returned to 
his native land he availed himself of the first opportunity of calling 
upon her and pressing the suit which had been auspiciously begun. 



REAR-ADMIRAL WIN FIELD SCOTT SCHLEY. 123 

There were the clouds of war and the distracting interests of the 
opposing sections of the country. Schley was an officer of the navy, 
and the girl he loved lived in a State which was in open rebellion to the 
flag under which he served, but he was patient, enthusiastic, and per- 
sistent. 

The same traits of character which made him a born fighter also 
made him an ardent lover, and after awhile he carried the day, win- 
ning his girl and her father's consent as well. 

In 1863 he triumphantly led Miss Nannie Franklin to the altar, 
and we well may add that "they lived happily ever after." Mrs. Schley 
is not particularly fond of social functions, being a devoted wife and 
mother. Three children have gladdened their home, all of them inher- 
iting to a greater or less extent the soldierly characteristics of the 
father. 

The oldest son, Thomas Franklin, is a lieutenant in the 14th Regi- 
ment of U. S. Infantry, now doing duty in the Philippines. The sec- 
ond son is Winfield Scott Schley, Jr., a surgeon in St. Luke's hospi- 
tal in New York. The daughter, Virginia, was married in 1890 to 
Ralph Granville Montague Stewart Wortley, who is a nephew of the 
English Earl of Warncllffe, but Mr. Wortley, instead of taking his 
bride to Great Britain, settled down to a business career in New York 
as a broker and railroad man. 

The children were educated in Annapolis, where the family made 
their home for twenty years or more, although the husband and father 
was necessarily away on duty much of the time. 

Schley was made lieutenant-commander on the 25th of July, 1866, 
having spent the previous year (after the close of the Civil War) in 
service cruising at various foreign stations, protecting American in- 
terests wherever they seemed to be in peril along the line of his assign- 
ments. He was made commander on June 10th, 1874, and two years 
afterward he was punishing pirates on the western coast of Africa. 

In 1884 the navy department needed a man to command an expedi- 
tion for the rescue, if possible, of Lieutenant A. W. Greely, who it was 
feared had been lost in the Arctic seas. The undertaking was known 
to be fraught with so much of certain suffering and so much of unknown 
danger, that the department hesitated to order any one to undertake it. 

Volunteers were, however, invited to offer their services. 

Quick to perceive the strong demands of humanity. Commander 
Schley promptly offered his services in the face of perils which daunted 
many hearts that were truly brave. 



124 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

He was placed in command of the expedition, and leaving wife and 
children again he penetrated the Polar Sea with his three ships — the 
Bear, the Thetis and the Alert. This successful expedition contains 
within its dramatic history enough of bravery, adventure, endurance 
and victory to make up the triumph of a lifetime. No wonder that 
upon his victorious return from this hazardous expedition, the Legis- 
lature of his native State voted him a beautiful token of public appre- 
ciation in the shape of a jeweled watch and chain. 

The government also recognized his courage and efficiency by mak- 
ing him a captain on March 31st, 1888. He was given command of 
the Baltimore, and in 1891 was ordered to Valparaiso, Chili, at a time 
when it seemed as if war with Chili was inevitable. A civil war was 
sweeping over the South American State. The United States Minister 
Egan was accused of partisanship and, therefore, the feeling against 
America was exceedingly strong, so much so that some of the sailors 
who left the ship on leave of absence were killed in the streets of Val- 
paraiso. 

Schley landed marines at midnight, and was harshly criticised for 
so doing, but he was determined to protect his men and the honor of 
the flag under which he sailed at all hazards. An attack on the Bal- 
timore was threatened from two Chilian cruisers and some torpedo 
boats, and Schley requested the British and German ships in the 
harbor to change their positions in order to give his guns a fair range. 
They did so, but in some cases not very willingly. Successful diplo- 
macy, however, avoided a war, and the somewhat aggressive captain 
was relieved from his command and assigned to Lighthouse Service. 

The warlike element among the American people of course applauded 
his course, and his own men presented him with a testimonial in the 
form of a handsome ebony cane with a gold head. The awkward sea- 
man who acted as spokesman on the deck of the Baltimore, made an 
impressive if not very elegant speech, which showed the real admira- 
tion of the men for their former captain who had just been relieved 
from his command. 

But the government could not afford to leave so competent an offi- 
cer long in comparative retirement, and in 1895 he was restored to 
duty on deck of a warship, succeeding Captain Evans as commander 
of the New York. He has done valiant service wherever he has been 
assigned, making the path of duty also the path of glory. He was, 
perhaps, at times too eager for strife in his younger days, but in later 
years his cooler judgment holds better balance with his warm impulses. 




BATTLE BETWEEN THE CONSTlTLTluX AND THE GUERRIERE 



REAR-ADMIRAL IVIKFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY. 125 

He was in bis ylory ou tlie detk of tlie Broolilyn wli,en that memor- 
able morning witnessed tbe attempted escape of tbe imprisoned fleet 
of Spain. 

Tbe temporary absence of Admiral Sampson made him for tbe time 
being tbe ranlving officer of the fleet, although he was never tech- 
nically in command. When tbe Spanish ships came steaming out for 
the contest, be felt, as be says, "all over."' 

In an incredibly short time tbe American vessels had been stripped 
for action, and officers and men fully realized that tbe decisive con- 
test was right upon them. Never was a more brilliant battle fought 
in a shorter time. Never was there more urgent need of quick thought 
on the part of the officers, and rapid action on tbe part of tbe men. 
Never did both officers and men respond more nobly to the demands 
their country made upon them in tbe crucial hour. 

Yeoman Ellis was standing beside Admiral Schley in front of tbe 
conning tower of the Brooklyn and in tbe midst of showers of shot 
and shell he was making bis observations and giving the elevation for 
the gunners to act upon. lie had just uttered a sentence imparting 
the important information when a shot struck him in tbe bead and 
scattered bis brains around the deck. 

America will always be thankful that as soon as the fight was over, 
her brave sons extended quick mercy to tbe conquered foe. No sooner 
was a signal of surrender given than tbe bands which had meted out 
swift punishment became tbe ministers of rescue and relief. Men whose 
lives had been exposed to tbe guns of tbe foe exposed themselves again 
to rescue that foe from death hy water or from fire. 

"The bravest are tbe tenderest — the loving are tbe daring." 

Our warships were immediately improvised into hospitals for tbe 
care of the wounded Spaniards, while every man on tbe fleet was glad 
to render every possible aid to the victims of war. 

There should be no controversy as to who is entitled to tbe greater 
praise upon this splendid victory, for, in the language of Schley: 

"There is glory enough for all." 

America knows her officers and men too well to doubt that every 
one on the watery field did bis duty bravely. Every other officer and 
man in tbe navy would have done his duty just as heroically had he 
been there. 

In bis command for tbe officers to cheer tbe men Schley showed that 
he fully realized the valor of "tbe men behind the guns," and he would 
surely be tbe last to wrest any laurels from tbe brow of Admiral Samp- 

9 



13G SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

son, who so long held the enemy within his iron grasp, and so steadily 
maintained the position which had been assigned him. Still we may 
say with Senator Henry Cabot Lodge: 

"It was a cruel piece of ill fortune that the Admiral, who had made 
every arrangement for the fight, should, by mere chance of war, have 
been deprived of his personal share in it. Equally cruel was the for- 
tune which had taken Captain Higginson and the Massachusetts on that 
day to Guantanamo to coal." 

One of the principal reasons why the American soldier whether on 
sea or land is superior to those of the Old World, is because he knows 
that the eyes of the people are upon him — knows that they trust him 
fully and that they are quick to recognize his loyalty and valor. 

President McKinley and Secretary Long signed Schley's commis- 
sion as Rear-Admiral on the 14th of April, 1899, and he has been the 
recipient of many tokens of regard from a proud and loving nation. 

His own State has been glad to do him honor in banquet halls and 
lowly homes. The gift of his State in commemoration of his part in 
the battle off Santiago was a splendid medal of wrought gold and 
rich enamel containing three hundred and twenty diamonds. It is 
held by a ribbon of blue enamel five inches in length, which is sus- 
pended upon blue silk bearing the two gold stars of a rear-admiral, 
and held in the beak of a gold eagle surmounting the coat of arms of 
the United States. 

In receiving a silver tea service from the ladies of Maryland, Rear- 
Admiral Schley said: 

"To have been a participant in the great work of July 3d off San- 
tiago, which this testimonial is intended to commemorate, was a high 
privilege, and as a son of dear old Maryland, if the help I gave to oth- 
ers on that day added in any degree to the prestige of my State, I feel 
glad and proud." 




THE SINKING OF THE IVOERRIMAC. 



CHAPTER X. 

RICHMOND P. HOBSON. 

Admiral Sampson, by virtue of his orders from Washington, as- 
sumed command of the blockading squadron. At once preparations 
were made for sinking the Merrimac in the channel, in order to make it 
difficult for Cervera to attempt a sudden sally. The plan had been dis- 
cussed with Naval Constructor Richmond P. Hobson, while on the way 
from Key West, and its execution was left to him, at his urgent re- 
quest. Every man in the fleet was anxious to volunteer his services for 
the dangerous task; but the undertaking was too perilous to risk un- 
necessary lives. Six men were selected from the eager volunteers. They 
were Daniel Montague, chief master of arms, and gunners' mate, Char- 
ette, of the New York; Boatswain Mullen, Coxswain Deignan, Machin- 
ist Phillips and Water Tender Kelly of the Merrimac. 

The plan was to swing the collier across the channel at a point where 
the chart showed a navigable width of only 350 feet, drop the anchors 
at stern and stem, and tire the torpedoes that would sink the vessel. 
The men were then to jump overboard and work their way out of the 
channel if possible. 

The final preparations were all made on June 2d. Coxswain Clausen, 
of the New York, was added to the crew, and Coxswain Murphy of the 
Iowa, took the place of Mullen, who was exhausted by physical and 
mental strain. At 1:30 that night the expedition got under way with 
Cadet J. W. Powell following in the New York's steam launch to pick up 
the crew if they escaped. 

Lieutenant Hobson steered his craft straight for Morro Castle and 
was not discovered until within five hundred yards of it. Then a heavy 
fire began from both shores, in which the Merrimac's rudder was shot 
away, rendering the boat unmanageable, and explaining the reason 
why the collier was not sunk athwart the channel. Submarine mines 
and torpedoes were exploded all about the little craft, adding to the 
excitement, but doing no damage. When the ship was at the desired 
point, it was found that the rudder was gone and it was impossible to 
turn her. Lieutenant Hobson called the men on deck, and, while they 
were launching the raft, exploded the torpedoes. At the same time 

127 



128 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

two torpedoes from the Eeina Mercedes struck the Merrimac, materially 
assisting the designs of the crew; but the loss of the steering gear frus- 
trated the well laid plans, and the boat sank, obstructing, but not block- 
ading, the passage. 

All of the crew reached the raft, to which they clung for an hour in 
the chilly water, not daring to show their heads above it. About five 
o'clock in the morning a Spanish launch came out to reconnoiter. It 
was hailed by Lieutenant Hobson, and Admiral Cervera himself stepped 
forward and assisted him and his brave seamen on board. 

They were taken to the Reina Mercedes and from there transferred 
to Morro Castle, from which they were released, on July 7th, by an 
exchange of prisoners. 

Ensign Powell waited until daylight to pick up the men, if they 
should come out; but he saw nothing of them, and as the Spanish bat- 
teries had opened fire on the launch he was obliged to return to the New 
York. Nothing was known of the fate of Hobson and his men until 
Captain Bustamente y Okedo, Admiral Cervera's chief of staff, came 
out in a launch, under a flag of truce, bearing the following generous 
tribute of praise from the Admiral for the performers of the brave deed: 

"Your boys will be all right in our hands. Daring like theirs makes 
the bitterest enemy proud that his fellow-men can be such heroes. They 
were taken afterwards to the city of Santiago and thence to Morro 
Castle, where they are our prisoners, but our friends. Everything is 
being done to make their stay with us comfortable. If you wish to send 
them anything, we will cheerfully take it to them." 

It is not strange that such courtesy earned for Admiral Cervera the 
kindly feeling of the American people and their very deep sympathy, 
when, a little later, he stood in great sorrow and dejection at the loss of 
his fleet, a prisoner in their hands. 

Lieutenant Hobson's brave deed was made the occasion of a special 
message to Congress from President McKinley, in which he says: 

"I cannot too earnestly express my ajipreciatiou of the conduct of 
Mr. Hobson and his gallant crew. I venture to say that a more brave 
and daring thing has not been done since Gushing blew up the Albe- 
marle." 

lie thereupon recommended him to transference to the line and pro- 
motion therein. The crew were also advanced and Cadet Powell, who 
followed and bravely waited for their return in the steam launch, was 
advanced to the rank of Ensign. 

The sinking of the Merrimac was a picturesque display of the brav- 



LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER WAINWRIGHT. 129 

ery found everywhere in the army and navy during the war, a bravery 
no less heroic because in many cases unheralded and less dramatic. 

No ardency of appreciation by American women will ever lessen the 
esteem in which this glorious young hero's deed will ever be held. 

LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER WAINWRIGHT. 

With Hobson and Powell must be remembered the name of Com- 
mander Wainwright. He had been executive officer' of the Maine at 
the time of the fateful explosion of February 15th, and as he stood 
beside his captain on the sinking quarter-deck and gave the order to 
lower away the boats he looked forwai-d to some such opportunity as 
that which was finally presented at the mouth of Santiago Harbor. 

No one could be more certain than Wainwright that the Maine 
disaster was not an accident. He had toiled beside the wreck during 
all those long weeks that followed the disaster. He it was who directed 
the divers in their grim work of recovering the bodies of his 2GG un- 
foi-tunate subordinates, and every detail in the development of the 
evidence, brought to light by the submarine research, made his serious 
face more serious and his keen blue eye shine with a daugerous deter- 
mination. Not one spoken word ever betrayed his conviction in regard 
to the cause of the disaster and no man more studiously obeyed the 
Department's injunction of secrecy upon subjects pertaining to the 
Maine Court of Inquiry; but his stern face and firm-set jaw told more 
than words could express of his inner and ineradicable conviction. 

It was with a long score to settle that Commander Wainwright 
waited for the fleet of Admiral Cervera to come out of the harbor; but 
when it came, his manipulation of the little converted yacht and the 
deadly accuracy of his six-pound baby batteries was so gallant and 
effective that his name has become as indissolubly associated with the 
Gloucester as Hobson's with the Merrimac, or Cushing's with the 
Albemarle. 

Another than Wainwright might well have said that in such a battle 
of the giants there was no place for pygmies, but as the fleet appeared 
one by one he only slacked his engines to gain steam, and waited for 
the expected coming of the torpedo boat destroyers, Furor and Pluton. 
Fifteen minutes after the Teresa appeared, they showed their noses in 
the channel, and the Gloucester, which had been pumping her batteries 
at the huge sides of the fleeing cruisers at short range, closed in upon 
the destroyers, training her forward guns upon the Pluton, her after 



i:;() SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

guus upon the Furor at a range of but .six hundred yards. Although 
the secondary batteries of the four big battleships had been directed 
against the torpedo boats, Commander Wainwright asserts that no 
damage had been inflicted until this advance by the Gloucester. A few 
minutes' work sent the Pluton, in flames, towards the shore, where she 
struck the rocks and soon blew up. The Furor also was on fire and help- 
less, and when she struck her colors, Wainwright turned his attention at 
once from the work of destruction to the work of rescue. He ordered 
the boats lowered and had already rescued twenty-six of the survivors 
of the Pluton when a series of explosions on the Furor told of her de- 
struction. She sank in deep water, and with her the crew and Captain 
Villamil, commander of the destroyer. 

The Gloucester's boats then went on to the Teresa and Oquendo, one 
of them picking up the Admiral of the fleet, who asked to be taken on 
board the Gloucester. Commander Richard Wainwright met him at the 
gangway and extending his hand to the gray-haired Admiral, he con- 
gratulated him upon as gallant a fight as was ever witnessed on the sea. 
With gentle sympathy for the man who wept for his slaughtered com- 
rades and stricken ship, he turned over the privacy of his own cabin to 
the defeated Admiral that he might be alone with his grief. 

That the Gloucester was not herself destroyed was due mainly to 
the accuracy and rapidity of the fire, and the handsome management 
of the little unprotected craft by the executive officer. Lieutenant Harry 
P. House, who, throughout the action, stood upon the bridge and coolly 
carried out his commander's orders. There were others, too, that day 
who did their full duty on board the little Gloucester. Such were En- 
gineer McElroy, whose constant attention made the boat efl'ective for 
rapid movement; Lieutenants Wood and Norman and Ensign Edson, 
who were often in person at the guns directing their fire, and later risked 
tlieir lives repeatedly in boarding and remaining near the destroyers 
and the two cruisers when their guus were being discharged by the heat 
and their magazines and boilers were exploding. 

Commander Wainwright is a sailor by birth, the son of the well- 
known Commodore Wainwright, and a graduate of Annapolis from the 
District of Columbia. He has proven himself to be an able oflicer, an 
intrepid leader, a hard fighter and a generous foe. Well deserved fame 
will follow Uichard Wainwright, Lieutenant-Commander of the Glou- 
cester, throughout the coming years. 



THE HEROES OF THE ENGINE ROOMS. 131 



THE HEROES OF THE ENGINE ROOMS. 

In recounting the heroes of the navy, too much praise cannot be 
given to the noble fellows of brawn and muscle who, down below the 
decks in the furnace-heat of the engine room, toil and labor in an atmos- 
phere that only iron wills and fierce determination make endurable. 
When a battle like that at Manila or at Santiago harbor has been fought 
and won, and the glory of victory has given our national flag a new 
meaning and an added interest, we naturally direct our applause to the 
man who points the gun or fearlessly stands upon the ship's bridge ex- 
posed to sudden death. We forget the helpless human beings in the very 
bowels of the ship who know how to obey and to carry fuel to the insa- 
tiate furnaces of the engines which alone make a modern ship of war 
effective. A man can easily stand beside his piece in the excitement of 
conflict and act without regard to the swift flying missiles of death; 
but the courage that keeps a man at his post of menial labor without 
shrinking or shirking, while the air thunders with the discharge of heavy 
artillerj' and the boat shivers and trembles from the recoil of her own 
great guns, holds the admiration of every true man. Though these 
swarthy fellows down below know not when a well placed shell will 
make a breach and the inrushing water will catch them like rats in a 
hole, or when inglorious death awaits them from escaping steam -or 
scalding water, they coolly stand by to supply the coal that keeps the 
vessel moving, furnishes power for the pumps, operates the hoists, and 
even lights and guides the vessel. 

The engine room is a post for none but men of courage, even when 
a vessel is not in action. Often the firemen serve their country in a tem- 
perature above 140 degrees, and come from these pent-up furnace rooms 
reeking with sweat and as black as the coal they have been shoveling 
into the fire. 

These are the heroes of our navy no less than those who face the 
guns of an enemy or take the chances of death or of a forlorn hope. 
Their names are not blazoned abroad nor do they go down by name into 
history, but that is no detraction of their humble but necessary achieve- 
ments. 

Occasionally the formal records of official reports chronicle some par- 
ticular act which shows the mettle of these men, who are blessed with 
noble courage and physique, if not with all the qualities of noble mind. 
Here is one act reported by Assistant Engineer Morton, of the Vixen, 



132 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

which occurred on the night of May 28th, 1898. A manhole gasket of 
one of the Vixen's boilers blew out, sending out a large stream of boil- 
ing water and steam into the fireroom. The men were driven from their 
work and the water in the gauge glass sank below the danger line 
There was indication that the boiler would explode and seriously, if not 
completely, wreck the boat. The life of every man on board was in 
danger. Assistant Engineer Morton called for volunteers to haul the 
fires, and two hardy firemen, P. Johnson and (J. Mahoney, stepped for- 
ward. Down they went into the fireroom dense with steam, and with 
scalding water blowing in their faces. They succeeded in hauling away 
the fire from beneath the boiler, though subjected to a most intense heat. 
Intrepid heroes, they saved the boiler and the boat. 

When Lieutenant Sharp, commander of the Vixen, forwarded his 
report to the Navy Department at "Washington, he added: ''Assistant 
Engineer Morton says nothing of his own conduct; when the gasket, 
having been refitted, blew out again, he, with Johnson, hauled the fires 
a second time." 

ENSIGN GILLIS SAVES THE PORTER. 

An exploit of a different kind from that of Engineer Morton and his 
firemen, Johnson and Mahoney, was performed by Ensign Irving Van 
Gordon Gillis, the sou of Rear Admiral Gillis, retired, U. S. N. Young 
Gillis is a graduate of Annapolis, from Delhi, New York, and went to 
the front to serve his country during the Spanish-American war, as en- 
sign on the torpedo boat Porter. 

It was while Admiral Schley had Cervera's fleet bottled up in San- 
tiago harbor and the cork had been put in so that there was no safe way 
to get out, and all around the harbor-mouth lay the huge gray battle- 
shij)s of the T'nited States, watching sulhMily for the exit of the impris- 
oned fleet, that Ensign Gillis took desperate chances and saved the offi- 
cers and crew of the Porter from an explosion that would have been as 
destructive as the one that sank the Maine. 

Cervera was chafing under his close confinement and set about to 
free himself of some of the watch dogs that rcdled and tossed on the 
s^-ell of the Caribbean waters, a few miles out. To this end several 
Schwartzkopf torpedoes were launched in the harbor channel at a time 
when it Avas hojx'd (he strong ebb tide would carry them out to sea, and, 
directed by Providence (which seemed to be on the other side), would 
run their noses into some American boat and send her to the bottom of 
the ocean. 



ENSIGN GILLIS SAVES THE PORTER. 133 

These modern engines of war accomplished the first part of their pur- 
pose; they got out to sea, and one of them would have succeeded in 
accomplishing all that was designed for it had it not been for this one 
of our American boys who stood upon the deck of the torpedo boat 
Porter. 

Captain Fremont, with glass in hand, had detected something black 
and glistening, with a pointed nose, floating towards his boat on the 
swell of the tide. Gillis had seen it, too, and it did not need a glass to 
tell him that it Avas a Schwartzkopf torpedo. He knew if its nose ever 
touched the Porter that nothing would mark the spot where the explo- 
sion occurred. In a moment his officer's coat was off and before Captain 
Fremont could catch the meaning of his action and say, "Don't do it, 
Gillis; she's got her war nose on!" the young ensign was in the sea. 
Quickly he came alongside the dangerous torpedo and with one arm he 
carefully circled the nose, quickly adjusting the plunging pin so that 
it could not operate; he then swam back to the boat, towing his prize 
with him. With a regard for discipline that no exploit, however brave, 
could deprive him of, he saluted his captain with one hand while he 
supported himself on the torpedo with the other, and waited his orders. 

Torpedo and ensign were soon hoisted on board, where Gillis, with 
the calmness that characterizes a really brave man, received the spon- 
taneous and hearty honors bestowed by officers and crew. It was a 
daring thing to do and shows the world that in the American navy there 
are heroes on every deck. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE STORY OF THE WINSLOW. 

On May 11th, 1898, the first American blood was shed in the war 
with Spain. Six men were wounded and one instantly killed at Cien- 
fuegos, while at Cardenas on the northern coast of Cuba five were 
blown to pieces and five were wounded on the toi-pedo boat Winslow. 

It was only a skirmish when compared with the great naval engage- 
ments which took place later, but it cost more lives than all these en- 
gagements put together. 

When Admiral Sampson sailed away in the exciting and uncertain 
search for Cervera's fleet, he left on blockade duty off Cardenas Bay 
two gun boats, the Machias and the Wilmington, the torpedo boat Win- 
slow and the auxiliary tug Hudson. 

Three Spanish gunboats were Ij'iug in the harbor and being appar- 
ently tired of a peaceful blockade. Com. C. C. Todd, of the gunboat Wil- 
mington, thought to capture them. The Winslow was ordered to run 
close to the eastern shore of Cardenas Bay, and the Hudson to the 
western shore while the Wilmington took her place in the channel. 

At this time one of the gunboats could be seen, and although the 
shore was known to be lined with Spanish batteries, the Winslow was 
ordered to run in and cut her out. 

The gunboat carried twelve pound guns, but Lieutenant Bernadou 
obeyed orders and di-ove his slender craft straight toward the foe. By 
this time the harbor and shore were alight with flame and the Span- 
ish shots were coming thick and fast. One of them struck the Win- 
slow, passing through the captain's quarters, and exploding in the paint 
locker, set the contents on fire. 

Bernadou called ui)on his men to turn on the hose and extinguish 
the fire, meanwhile standing forward and directing the fight as coolly 
as if the men were at target practice. Immediately another shot ex- 
ploded against the forward conning tower,, and a piece of the shell 
entered the left groin of Lieutenant Bernadou, lodging within half an 
inch of the artery. 

Placing his hand on the wound to stay the flow of blood he called 
for a towel and quickly made a strong bandage around the leg, com- 

]34 



THE STORY OF THE WINSLOW. 135 

pressing the artery still further by crowding a cartridge between the 
folds of the towel and the leg, and then went coolly on with his work. 

But a shell tore through the forward conning tower disabling the 
•steering gear and another passed through the forward boiler, and still 
another disabled the starboard engine. Six terribly effective shots 
had now struck the little craft, and with her steering apparatus help- 
Jess and her engine exploded, she signaled for help. 

Her gallant crew were still shooting their one-pounders with more 
or less effect, but the Winslow was evidently helpless, and within easy 
reach of the enemy's batteries. In the meantime the Hudson was fight- 
ing bravely, her smoke stack was punctured with bullet holes, and the 
wood work of cabin and deck was a mass of splinters. 

Although unable to steer the ship, Bernadou found that he could 
interfere with the enemy's aim by backing with the power of the one 
uninjured engine, and Ensign Worth Bagley, the second in command, 
was placed at the hatch amidshijis to direct the engineer, as other 
methods of communication had been shot away. Captain Newton, of 
the Hudson, hurried to the aid of the Winslow, but there was a little 
delay in heaving the tow line. 

"Let her come," shouted Bagley, "it's getting mighty warm here." 

The line was thrown and eagerly caught by the Winslow's men. 
Bravely they pulled at their one hope of escape, but at this instant 
another four inch shell whizzed through the air and burst directly 
beneath the little group of men who were pulling at the life line. Five 
bodies went whirling through the air. Ensign Bagley and Fireman 
Daniels were dead when they fell and the other three died in a few 
minutes. 

With the explosion of the shell the rope parted and the helpless 
Winslow drifted back nearer to the enemy's fire, which was sharp and 
persistent. 

But even then the little fighter kept pouring her one-pound shot into 
the Spaniards on shore. 

At a safe distance, where not a fragment of shot or shell could reach 
her, the Wilmington was shooting also, and doing considerable exe- 
cution. 

The captain of the Hudson says: "I know that we destroyed a large 
part of the town near the wharf, burned one of their gunboats, and 
I think destroyed two other torpedo destroyers. We were in a cor- 
tex of shot, shell and smoke, and could not tell accurately, but we saw 
one of their boats on fire and sinking soon after the action began, then 



136 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

a large building near the wharf — I think the barracks — took fire, and 
many other buildings were soon burning." 

After the parting of the first hawser the Hudson quickly threw 
another line to the Winslow, but again it broke; then Captain Newcome 
brought his tug to the side of the disabled boat, made her fast and 
towed her out of the Spaniards' range, and ultimately to a little island 
twelve miles off where the Machias lay, and Dr. Kichai'ds, of that ves- 
sel, cared for the wounded men. 

The next morning the Hudson sailed away to Key West with flags 
at half mast, and with her gallant dead covered with the flag they loved. 
The dead were Worth Bagley, Ensign; John Daniels, first-class fireman; 
John Tuunett (colored), cabin cook, and John Varveres, the oiler. 

The wounded were Lieutenant Bernadou, commanding the Winslow; 
R. E. Cox, gunner's mate; F. Gray; D. McKeown, quartermaster, and 
J. Patterson, fireman. 

The next morning, also, the Wilmington steamed close to Cardenas 
Bay, with her decks stripped for action and her men shouting the 
watchword "Avenge the Winslow." Within easy range were the gun- 
boats which had decoyed the Winslow into easy range of the masked 
batteries — into the very gates of hell — and near the forts also two 
schooners lay at anchor. For an hour a hot bombardment was main- 
tained against the batteries and the ships in harbor. The gunners of 
the American navy are remarkable for the accuracy of their shots and 
the men of the Wilmington were no exception to the rule. 

The two gunboats and both schooners were sunk and one blockhouse 
was burned by an exploding shell. 

For about two weeks the Spaniards had been working at the fortifi- 
cations here in anticipation of an attack, and the masked batteries and 
heavy earthworks were well manned, as was clearly proven by the ter- 
ribly effective work which they accomplished on the Winslow. 

It was easy to shell the frail sides of the little torpedo boat, but the 
big guns of the Wilmington proved to be a dangerous foe, and the for- 
midable batteries with their machine guns were torn from their founda- 
tions. 

STORY OF THE GUSSIE. 

The first contest on Cuban soil between American soldiers and Span- 
ish troops took place May 12, 1898. It resulted from a gallant attempt 
to land a quantity of arms and provisions for the benefit of the suffer- 
ing Cubans. 



STORY OF THE GUSSIE. * 137 

The transport Gussie carried Colonel J. H. Dorst, of the United 
States Volunteers, who commanded the expedition, and also Company 
E, First Infantry, numbering sixty men, with Captain J. J. O'Connell 
and Second Lieutenant W. M. Crofton; Company G, First Infantry, also 
numbered sixty men, with Captain M. P. Phister, First Lieutenant F. 
E. Lacey, and Second Lieutenant D. E. Nolan. There were also Dr. 
Gandy, hospital steward and six men from the hospital corps, besides 
three or four Cuban scouts. 

The Gussie, which was heavily laden with supplies, left Key West 
with only the Manning as an escort, and during the night they became 
separated, but in the morning they found each other almost directly 
off Havana, and here they were joined by the Wasp, whose duty it was 
to patrol the coast opposite Pinar Del Kio. 

About noon on the 12th of May, the little expedition drew close to 
the shore near Mariel, but it was found that the country was alive 
with Spaniards, and if a landing was effected at all it must be made 
elsewhere. As they steamed on for a few minutes it became evident 
that they were watched and followed by Spanish cavalry, and soon 
the enemy was re-enforced by other companies. 

The first party of Cubans who were to have received the supi^lies 
had been conquered by a superior force and driven so far away that 
no aid could be expected from them. Fighting was still going on, 
however, in the interior, showing that other i)arties of Cubans were 
attempting to take the place of the defeated insurgent force. 

The Spanish cavalcade galloped furiously along the coast, occa- 
sionally throwing wild and ineffective shots toward the ships. On the 
high gTound, a little to the east of Cabanas, there was a rude fort 
which had been strongly garrisoned, and a volley fired from there passed 
over the heads of the watchers on ship board. 

The Manning returned the fire, but with what effect the Americans 
could not see, and they sailed on hoping to find a place where a peacea- 
ble landing might be effected. They could still hear the sound of con- 
tinuous firing on land, and it was evident that some of the insurgents 
were still making a brave effort to keep their appointment with their 
American friends and receive the much needed supplies of food and 
ammunition. 

By this time the rain began to fall and s(»on it was pouring down 
in torrents which are known only to the tropics. Even the tempestu- 
ous waves of the sea seemed to be beaten down by the fury of the 
descending floods. 



138 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

It was a perilous undertaking, but it was thought that a landing 
might be effected under cover of the storm, so the little fleet drifted 
closely to the shore and dropped anchor off Arbolitos Point, where it 
seemed possible for the small boats to land. 

Three Cuban scouts went first, hoping to show a way that the other 
boats might safely follow, but their little skiff struck the coral reef 
and was overturned, so they made the shore only by swimming for it. 

Two other boats were launched, and, nothing daunted by the mis- 
hap of the natives, they were quickly filled by about forty men of Com- 
pany E. The one was commanded b^' Captain O'Connell and the other 
by Lieutenant Crofton. They pushed off from the ship even while the 
pouring rain was threatening to sink them. Captain O'Connell's boat 
cleared first and went toward shore before the other had started; but 
the wind was rising; he, too, struck the dangerous reef. 

The boat was overturned and some of the Americans struck out for 
shore in the same primitive way by which the Cubans had effected their 
landing. Thus it happened that Lieutenant Crofton's boat landed first. 
O'Connell's boat was finally righted and succeeded in making the shore 
a little to the westward of the other. His men went forward in a 
skirmish line, deploying carefully into the land of the foe; they were 
almost immediately hidden from view by the thick growth of chaparral 
which came down nearly to the water's edge. 

They were obliged to penetrate a jungle of tropical trees and vines 
— bamboos and banyans, thorns and stubborn undergrowth, all woven 
together with grape vines and flowering creepers. Above and far be- 
yond them the Cacara-Jicara mountains lifted their blue peaks above 
the storm. 

By this time the rain had died away almost entirely, and the wind, 
veering around to the northward, the sea rose again and the breakers 
crashed upon the coral reefs with a tremendous roar. Communication 
with the shore was impossible with the speaking trumpets, but those 
who were left on shipboard soon heard from the heroic landing party, 
for there was a report made by two heavy volleys of musketry followed 
by the shai'p cracking noise of American firearms. 

Before the men on the transport had fully realized that our land- 
ing was being desperately resisted, two or three volleys which were 
fired at good range came whistling over their heads. 

As soon as Captain O'Connell's men had reached the crest which 
commanded the landing beach they discovered twenty or thirty rifle- 



STORY OF THE GUSSIE. 139 

pits, from which the Spaniards could have slaughtered our men at leis- 
ure if they had been occupied at the time. 

When only fifty yards from the beach they came upon an old grass 
grown road which ran out upon xirbolitos Point, and along this road, 
less than sixty yards away, a party of Spanish guerrillas were pushing 
forward at the top of their speed, in the elfort to reach and occupy 
the rifle-pits. 

The oncoming Spaniards fired at sight but the only result was a 
wound in the arm of a brave and enterpi'ising newsijaper man, Mr. 
Archibald, who had obtained permission to join this dangerous expe- 
dition. The Americans promptly returned the fire, and four Spaniards 
responded to the call of their guns, by dropping dead in their tracks. 

They were not accustomed to such accurate shooting and beat a 
quick retreat, rushing into the jungle and firing at random as they ran. 
The Spaniards were led by a lieutenant of their boasted Civil Guard, 
but he fell before the gun of Metzler of Company E, and his men were 
demoralized by his fall. 

Lieutenant Crofton and his men now came up and joined the skir- 
mish line which was extended across the road and into the jungle be- 
yond. Captain O'Connell returned to the transport and, after confer- 
ring with the ofiicers there, went to the Manning and the Wasp and 
pointed out to their gunners the i)oint where the enemy was last seen. 
He then returned to the brave men on shore who were standing where 
they might be shot down at any time, but remaining as coolly as if 
they were on dress parade. 

The gunboats now poured their shot and shell into the jungle at 
the right of our skirmish line, and Captain Phister's men fired their 
volleys at random in the same direction. The retreating foe threw back 
an occasional shot, but seemed to be trying to keep out of range of 
our guns. 

The Cuban scouts by this time had succeeded in swimming their 
horses to the shore, and under the direction of Colonel Dorst, they 
rode along the beach for a mile or two and then disappeared in the 
jungle. They had a dangerous ride of nine or ten miles to the Cuban 
camp on the foothills of the Cacara-Jicara Mountains, but night was 
now coming on and beneath its friendly shadow they sped away over 
the ground, with every foot of which they were familiar. 

The men were now brought back to the ship thoroughly soaked with 
rain, but there were no injuries except that sustained by Mr. Archi- 
bald. The Gussie was compelled afterward to leave without landin"- 



140 SPLENDID DELDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

her supplies, but the lirst blood which was shed on Cuban soil was 
Spanish blood, and besides those who were seen to fall, many must 
have been killed by the raking fire of the gunboats through the woods 
where they were hidden. 

In this first contest one prisoner was also captured — a man who was 
doubtless in the employ of the enemy, as he had given wrong informa- 
tion, under the guise of friendship, to the first landing party. 

The faithful O'fficers of the expedition made an attempt to reach the 
insurgents with supplies at all of the three western provinces which 
had been agreed upon, but the Spanish forces along the coast succeeded 
in preventing the Cubans from approaching near enough and in force 
enough to receive and protect the supplies. 

It would have been poor policy to take any chances upon allowing 
them to fall into the hands of the enemy, and so the Gussie with her 
escort steamed away over the blue seas toward American shores. 

CUTTING CABLES AT CIENFUEGOS. 

The Americans found it desirable to cut off, if possible, the cable 
communication between the Spaniards in Cuba and the rest of the 
world, especially the government at Madrid, and the dangerous duty 
was necessarily assigned to men in small boats. 

The Nashville and Marblehead had been doing blockade duty on 
the southern coast but were ordered to Cienfuegos to cut the cables 
there. Two of them were connected with the West Indies, and the 
third was probably a local line. 

It was a very hazardous proceeding for the little boats containing 
the grappling apparatus with a handful of men to row into the har- 
bor where the water was shallow enough to enable them to reach the 
cables, because the work must be done under the fire of the formid- 
able shore batteries. There was one large battery near the harbor 
mouth, and many rifle pits which had been placed there some months 
before. 

To run this gauntlet of destrnclion was almost throwing life away 
and the men knew it. Before manning the boats the officers announced 
that so great was the peril of the undertaking tliat no man would be 
ordered to do the work, but they asked for volunteers. 

Never has a call for volunteers from American officers failed to meet 
with a gallant response, and in this case as in so many others, the 
brave bovs made a rush for the boats. 





^,^ ^-k.4, 








CUTTING THE CABLE UNDER FIKE 




HOLt MADE BY A SPANISH SHOT IN THE ARMOR PLATE 
OF THE BATTLESHIP TEXAS 



CUTTING CABLES AT CIENFUEGOS. 141 

The warnings were repeated, the officers asserting that probably no 
man would return alive. But the men continued to strive for the dan- 
gerous position and then the officers were compelled to choose from the 
eager volunteers those whom they considered the most cool headed and 
competent. 

The stir on shipboard was eagerly watched by the Spanish officers 
on shore, and as far as they could judge with the aid of field glasses, 
preparations were being made for a landing on Cuban shores. 

The forces were hastily summoned and a thousand Spaniards or 
more were waiting for an attack before the preparations were com- 
pleted for the putting out of the small boats. 

In order to divert suspicion from the real purpose the Nashville drew 
nearer to the shore and opened fire upon the coast defences. Firing 
steadily, she drew closer toward her prey and poured her shells upon 
the battery and rifle pits. 

Through their glasses the American officers could see that the shots 
were exceedingly effective, many of the enemy falling before their fire. 

The Spanish gunners soon got the range of their assailant and poured 
their leaden and iron shower upon her, but the men on the Nashville 
were kept under cover as much as possible while they worked the guns. 
In the meantime the Wiudom came up abreast of the Nashville and 
only about half a mile from her; the Marblehead was still closer in 
shore and all three were bombarding the fortifications as fast as shot 
and shell coiild be carried from their magazines. 

When some of the guns had been silenced under the terrific fire of 
an hour or more, four boats were manned for the purpose of accom- 
plishing the real object in view. Lieutenant Anderson, of the Marble- 
head, took a cutter with twelve sailors and marines, and a little launch 
with six men. In the bows of the launch was a rapid firing gun which 
carried pound balls, and there was also a supply of ammunition. 

Lieutenant Winslow was placed in command of two other boats 
which were similarly equipped, and both of the larger boats were sup- 
plied with tongs and grappling irons for the raising of the cables. 

The little boats set off with their valiant crews cheering and eager 
for the work in hand, while over their heads flew the deadly shells and 
shrapnel from both the American ships and the Spanish batteries. 
They went within a hundred yards of the shore, and commenced the 
work of grappling for the cable, but even here they were working in 
more than forty feet of water, and were also exposed to a constant fire, 
and every few minutes a wounded man would fall in one of the boats, 

10 



142 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

but the survivors went on rowing against the current or grappling for 
the sunken cables as coolly as if they were alone on the open sea. 

The wounded men tightened their lips and suppressed the cry of 
pain, while in more than one instance a wounded sailor kept on row- 
ing until he sank from loss of blood. 

In the midst of this terrible but suppressed excitement the grap- 
plers found one of the cables and cut it. Soon the second was brought 
to the surface and that was also severed, but in the meantime one man 
was killed at his post and the Spaniards, having obtained the exact 
range of the workers, their fire became so furious that a retreat was 
ordered before the third cable was found. 

The most fatal fusillade of the Spaniards was made under the pro- 
tection of the lighthouse which, under the courtesy, if not the law of 
nations, was safe from attack. 

Depending upon American generosity to spare it, they had fought 
under its protection with fatal effect. 

On going into the engagement the word had been given the Amer- 
ican gunners to avoid the lighthouse, but after the cowardly attack 
from beneath its sheltering walls, the Windom moved in close to the 
shore and bombarded the structure until it was reduced to complete 
ruin. 

This was one of the bravest actions of the war, one man was killed, 
two were mortally wounded, and four others were struck. Among the 
injured men was Captain JIaynard, of the Nashville, who stood in an 
exposed position on the bridge of his ship, directing the gunners in their 
work, and also giving orders concerning the movements of the vessel. 

CHAPLAIN HARRY W. JONES. 

It requires more courage to stand faithfully in the post of danger 
when unarmed than it does to carry the battle flag through the excite- 
ment of a victorious charge, and Harry Jones, of the United States 
Navy, showed that he had genuine soldier blood in his veins when he 
left the ship with a squad of marines in order to bury a sailor in the 
land of the enemy. 

The only American who was killed in the fierce engagement with 
Cervera's fleet on that memorable Fourth of July, was the man who 
fell while standing beside Commodore Schley on the Brooklyn. It 
was determined to give the brave fellow a Christian burial on the hill 



CHAPLAIN HARRY IV. JONES. 143 

back of the camp which the marines were holding against terrible odds 
at Guantanamo. 

It was known that the woods were alive with Spanish sharpshoot- 
ers, but it was thought that they would hardly fire upon a funeral party, 
and Chaplain Jones volunteered to go ashore and conduct the service. 

There was a guard of honor consisting of thirty marines, and eight 
pall bearers who had been chosen from the messmates of the dead sailor, 
and the little party was landed on the beach below the camp. 

With arms reversed and muffled drum the little cortege moved slowly 
down the valley to the hillside, where a grave was dug, and the body 
lowered into the ground. 

Then the chaplain took his place at the head of the grave, and be- 
gan to read the solemn words of the burial service. He was uttering 
the sentence, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," when the crack of a rifle 
was heard and a Mauser bullet was buried deeply in the ground at 
his feet. 

Mr. Jones raised his head to see from whence the disturbance came, 
but went coolly on with the services regardless of the cowardly shot. 

Finding that there was no response to their fire, the Spaniards 
waxed valiant in fight, and soon the air was filled with the hum of the 
bullets, while the leaves and twigs which were cut from the trees fell 
upon the bared heads of the funeral party. There was the patter of 
bullets on the sod and one of them passed through the sleeve of the 
chaplain's surplice, but he paid no heed to the shower of lead, and the 
brave men with bowed heads, seemed to listen reverently to the service. 

When it was over the grave was filled, the bugler sounded the fare- 
well taps, and then the marines fired three volleys over the hero's rest- 
ing place. 

It was the sound of these volleys that drove the cowardly Spaniards 
from the spot, for they supposed that the Americans were at last 
returning their fire. 

Strange to say, there was no injury received by one of the brave 
and defenseless men who stood so loyally over their dead comrade. 
While they reverently performed the funeral rites they were sheltered 
from the foeman's bullets as if protected by the God of Battles. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET. 

On July 3, 1898, off Santiago, occurred the greatest naval battle of 
modern times. It was a fair test of armored ships aud modern projec- 
tiles; of the value of daily discipline aud target practice. 

For five weeks the American fleet had watched that harbor. There 
was not a moment by day when the glasses were not trained on the 
dim, distant smoke that came from the enemy's ships; not a moment 
by night when the great search lights did not sweep the sea. Tliere 
had not been a moment during those five weeks when every man was 
not ready for his duty — and the long strain was beginning to tell. 

The American fleet was stationed around Santiago harbor, three 
miles from Morro Castle. Close to the shore off Aguadores, on the 
right, was the converted yacht Gloucester, Lieutenant-Commander 
Wainwright commanding, then the battleship Indiana, Captain Tay- 
lor commanding, then the battleship Oregon, Captain Clark command- 
ing, then the battleship Iowa, directly facing the harbor. Captain Evans 
commanding, then the battleship Texas, Captain Philip commanding, 
then the armored cruiser Brooklyn, Captain Cook commanding, flying 
the pennant of Commodore Sohley, and close to the shore on the ex- 
treme left, the auxiliary Vixen, under the command of Lieutenant 
Sharp. 

The Massachusetts, the New Orleans and the cruiser Newark had 
left the line and gone forty miles to the east for coal, i^rovisions and 
ammunition. 

At 8:55 o'clock the flagship New York had signaled the fleet: "Dis- 
regard the motions of the Commander-in-Chief," and moved towai'd the 
east. Admiral Sampson had an engagement with General Shafter and 
at 9:20 the New York was out of signal distance of the fleet and the 
command devolved on Commodore Schley. 

General muster had been ordered for the fleet. This is compulsory 
every month in the navy, and the Articles of War are read to the as- 
sembled crew. Commodore Schley, with no insignia of rank upon him, 
tilted his chair back, tapped nervously with bis fingers, and remarked: 
"This is pretty slow." A distant bugle call on the Texas summoned 

144 



THE DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET. 145 

the crew to church and a bell tolled softly. White mustering clothes 
had been ordered for the officers and all white for the crew. 

Yet on every ship glasses were focused on that distant smoke in 
the harbor of Santiago. On the forwai'd bridge of the Brooklyn Navi- 
gator Hodgson had relieved the officer of the deck, and Quartermaster 
Anderson was watching the enemy's ships. 

That smoke is moving," he said to Mr. Hodgson. Taking the glass 
the Navigator ti-ained it upon the hazy cloud at the entrance of the 
harbor. There was an instant of perfect silence, then Anderson caught 
up the glass as it fell. Hodgson seized his megaphone and yelled, '"After 
bridge, there! Report to the Commodore and the Captain that the 
enemy's ships are coming out!'' 

The cadet on the signal bridge stumbled down the ladder, but be- 
fore his feet had touched the deck the Lieutenant-Commander shouted : 
"Clear ship for action!" 

The scene that followed, while seeming to be the wildest of confu- 
sion, was, in reality, the result of the most perfect discipline. The men 
flew to their guns, dropping their clothes as they went, and in three 
minutes from the time the signal was given, every gun was loaded, 
every battle hatch was fastened down, every water tight compartment 
had been closed, ammunition was ready, fire pumps were on and the 
decks wet down, and every single man of the five hundred on the ship 
was in his battle station. 

The movement had been seen on the Iowa also, and the signal 
fluttered from her mast-head: "Enemy's ships coming out." A six 
pound gun also thundered a warning to the fleet. From the signal 
halyards of the Texas waved the flags which meant, "The enemy is 
attempting to escape." An emergency signal was hoisted on the Ore- 
gon and the siren sounded t<» attract the attention of the fleet. 

The Spanish fleet, in column, came boldly out of the harbor. In 
the lead was the Maria Teresa, Admiral Cervera's flagship. The Viz- 
caya. Colon and Oquendo followed, then the destroyers Furor and Plu- 
ton. 

The Iowa had her guns trained on the flagship, but her crew stopped 
for a moment to cheer the Spanish ship as she sailed boldly from safety 
into danger. The crucial test was about to be made. On one side were 
four battleships and two destroyers, on the other four battleships, an 
armored cruiser, and two converted yachts. Allowing for the superior 
speed possessed by the Spanish ships, the conditions were equal as 
regarded armament and guns. Rut on one side was the theatrical, 



HG SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

impulsive daring of the Latin, on the other the cool courage of the 
Anglo-Saxon; on one side officers who treated their men as slaves, on 
the other officers who treated them as men; ob one side men who had 
had little experience with the guns, on the other men who had been 
trained for years with daily target practice. 

And in the two countries whose ships had met in the southern seas 
there was a vital difference. The ruler of one was a man, chosen by 
popular vote, watching for results with no deeper anxiety than seventy 
million others felt, while far away in Spain, a little boy, scarcely more 
than a child, turned his wondering eyes toward the west from the blood 
stained steps of his tottering throne. 

The Iowa was turned so as to bring the Teresa on her starboard 
bow, and Captain Evans gave the order, "Commence firing — range five 
thousand yards." Three of the Spanish ships were now in plain sight 
and the heavy guns of the Oregon were also firing at the flagship. The 
Indiana came up from the Morro, and brought her guns to bear. The 
port battery of the Iowa was firing on the Teresa, and the starboard 
battery on the Vizcaya and the Oquendo. The Oquendo, superior to 
the Iowa in speed, though severely injured, went on after the other ships, 
and the Colon made a gallant dash for liberty, striking the Iowa twice 
as she passed. 

As the torpedo boats came out from under the lee of the Morro the 
Gloucester made for them with a great burst of speed, while the rapid- 
fire batteries of the Iowa, Indiana and Oregon were also brought to 
bear. 

The Gloucester made short work of the two torpedo boats, and in 
eight minutes from the time they first came under fire, one had sunk and 
the other was pounding on the rocks. The Oquendo and the Teresa 
had headed for the beach, the Brooklyn and Oregon were chasing the 
Colon, firing at the Vizcaya meanwhile. As the Texas and the Iowa 
drew near, steadily firing, the Vizcaya headed for the beach. Presently 
it was seen that she was on fire aft, but her flag still flew at her mast- 
head, so the Iowa opened fire again with her twelve-inch guns. As the 
fire gained headway she made a run for the beach, so Captain Evans 
signaled "Cease firing,'' and going as near as the depth of water would 
permit, prepared to rescue the crew of the Vizcaya, 

In two minutes from the time the signal was first given, the heavy 
guns of the Indiana had been trained upon the Morro. From his posi- 
tion on the bridge, Captain Taylor called : "Get to your guns, lads, our 
chance has come at last," and the men answered with a cheer. There 



THE DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET. 147 

was a period of doubt as to the intention of the Spanish fleet. Two of 
the four siiips seemed to be heading for the Indiana, probably to torpedo 
or ram her, and the fire of the heaviest guns was reserved for the possible 
emergency. The torpedo boat destroyers also complicated the Indiana's 
situation. But day by day on the Indiana the exact range of the Spanish 
ships had been taken and her fire was hence very effective. 

The gunner's books show that during the first forty minutes of the 
engagement, the Indiana fired eighteen hundred and seventy-six projec- 
tiles, of which only twenty-five were of small size. It was a heavy shell 
from the Indiana which first set the Vizcaya afire, and one from the 
same ship exploded upon the Teresa and did great damage. The Colon 
and Furor were also struck by shells from the Indiana. 

As the Teresa and Oquendo headed for the beach, the gallant crew 
of the Indiana gave a cheer that resounded above the roar of her guns. 
When the Vizcaya struck her colors, the bugles of the Indiana sounded 
"Cease firing." The remaining Spanish ship, the Colon, was far to the 
west, with the Brooklyn and Oregon in full pursuit. At this moment 
the flagship New York, which had come abreast of the Indiana from the 
eastward, firing twice at the torpedo boat destroyers as she passed, 
signaled to the Indiana to return and guard the harbor entrance. 

It was Captain Taylor's intention to guard the harbor entrance and 
at the same time to send relief parties to the Oquendo and Teresa. But 
two of the light-armored vessels, the Harvard and the Resolute, brought 
word of a Spanish battleship approaching from the eastward and attack- 
ing the transports near Siboney. 

The Indiana soon sighted the ship, and when Captain Taylor could 
no longer doubt that she flew the Spanish flag, he again sounded the 
call to quarters and ordered the men to the guns. The crew of the 
Indiana had been under an intense strain and for three hours had been 
at the guns, but without a moment's faltering the men rushed, cheering, 
to their stations. 

Just at the point of opening fire, the ship was discovered to be an 
Austrian, but for fear of a ruse the Indiana approached her slowly with 
<Tuns bearing. She signaled a wish to communicate with the American 
ship, and an Austrian lieutenant came aboard. He was gay with 
epaulets and gold lace; the half-naked men who lined up to salute him as 
he passed were covered with powder smoke and dust. He had his 
Captain's request for permission to enter the blockading line and bring 
Austrian refugees out of Santiago. Captain Taylor referred him to 
Admiral Sampson, telling him he would be found some distance to the 



148 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

eastward. The ensuing conversation is best told in Captain Taylor's 
own Avords. 

I told him we had just come out of action with Cervera's squadron. 
He showed great surprise and said : 

" 'Then there has been a battle?' 

" 'Yes,' I replied. 

"'And the result?' he asked, eagerly. 

" 'We have defeated them.' 

"'But where is Cervera's fleet now?' he inquired. 

" 'His flagship, the Maria Teresa, is there, Lieutenant,' I answered, 
pointing at the same time to the beach a few miles distant. 

" 'But I see nothing there but some smoke. Captain!' 

" 'It is the smoke of the Maria Teresa burning, Lieutenant; she is a 
wreck upon the beach.' 

"He was silent and I continued: 

" 'Close to her on the beach, you will see another column of smoke; 
that is the Oquendo burning. On this side, nearer to us, is the Pluton, 
sunk in the breakers; and the Furor is near her, but is on the bottom in 
deeper water and is not visible.' 

" 'But,' he interrupted, 'you have then destroyed half those splendid 
vessels of Cervera's!' 

" 'Wait, Lieutenant,' I continued, 'and look a few miles farther to 
the westward, and you will see another column of smoke; that is the 
Vizcaya on the beach near Asserados. As to the Colon, she is still 
farther to the westward, out of sight from us here, but you will see her 
presently as your Captaiu steers in that direction to find Admiral 
Sampson, who is at that end of our line.' 

"His eyes ranged along the shore as I pointed out the different 
vessels. 

" 'Mein Gott!' he exclaimed. 'Then you have destroyed the whole 
of that splendid squadron! I did not think it possible.' 

"After a moment more of silent astonishment he said, with a polite 
sympathy which concealed eager professional curiosity: 

"'And your injuries, Captain? What losses has the American 
squadron sustained?' 

" 'Kone,' I replied. 

" 'But, Captain, you do not understand; it is what casualties — what 
ships lost or disabled — that I ask.' 

'None, Lieutenant,' I said. 'The Indiana was struck but twice; 
suffered no injury, no loss. The other ships are virtually in the same 







EFFECT OF A GOOD AMERICAN SHOT. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF CERV ERA'S FLEET. 149 

condition. We are all of us perfectly ready for another battle — as much 
so as before Cervera came out this morning.' 

"His astonishment was now complete. 

" 'Mein Gott!' be exclaimed again. 'Admiral Sampson's fleet has 
destroyed these great Spanish ships, and without injury to his own 
squadron! Sir, it is unheard of; I must go to inform my Captain.' " 

Two other vessels had also sighted the stranger, and Captain 
Evans, on receiving the information, left the rescue of the remaining 
prisoners to a smaller boat and at once cleared for action. Fifteen or 
twenty frightened American transports were in front of the supposed 
Spaniard, making for the fleet as rapidly as possible. When the sturdy 
Iowa sailed out to meet the enemy, they followed her, slowly and cau- 
tiously. Captaiu Evans had two hundred and fifty prisoners of war 
upon his decks, and he at once went to Captain Eulate, of the Vizcaya, 
and asked for their verbal parole against any act of treachery on the 
part of any Spanish prisoner. This was willingly given. As soon as 
the identity of the cruiser was established, the engines of the Iowa were 
stopped and all hands called to assist in burying the dead. 

On the battle ship Texas, hammocks had been unknown for weeks 
before the battle. The condition of strained expectancy was at its 
height and never was there a more welcome sound than the call to arms. 
The Texas lay between the Brooklyn and the Iowa, and somewhat 
farther off the shore. 

It was shortly seen that Cervera's intention was to run his ships 
westward, and attempt to escape between the Brooklyn and the shore 
before the heavier ships could catch him, but before he was fairly out- 
side the harbor the squadron was pouring in a steady fire, effective 
even at long range. 

The Spanish squadron was gay with battle flags, and Captain Philip 
tells how the battle flags of the Texas were hoisted. 

"It was this array," he says, "which perhaps caused Lieutenant 
Heilner suddenly to look aloft. There was the old Texas potterin"- 
along grimly, without any insignia of war except the Stars and Stripes 
in its usual place at the stern. 

" 'Where are our battle flags?' he cried. 

"'I guess they won't have any misconception about our being in 
battle,' I remarked, as one of our six-inch shells threw up a column of 
spray that seemed to fall over the Teresa's deck. But he wanted battle 
flags. 

" 'What's a battle without battle flags?' he demanded, and hurried 



150 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

a messenger after them. The messenger returned with the information 
that the flags were in the locker and that the chief signal quarter- 
master had the key. The signal quartermaster was very busy and 
somewhat inaccessible, being at his post in the fore uj)i)er top. 

" 'Then smash the locker,' said the Lieutenant, and at la.st we got 
our battle flags. I don't know that the Texas fought any better after 
that, but the Lieutenant was certainly happier." 

The Texas and the Brooklyn had a narrow escape from a collision 
in the thick smoke. The Texas, after having fired several times upon 
the Teresa, turned her starboard battery upon the Vizcaya and Oquendo. 

The Texas fought a heavy battle with the Oquendo and fired at 
least two twelve-inch shells into the other Spanish ships. The Texas 
was struck three times, but no one was injured. At half past ten, as 
she passed the Oquendo, that ship ran up a white flag, and the Texas 
bugler sounded "Cease firing." The Vizcaya surrendered while the 
Texas was still firing at her. 

The Texas also joined the Oregon and Brooklyn in the pursuit of 
the Colon, and as soon as it was seen that the capture was certain, 
■ turned back and made attempts to rescue the wounded. 

The converted yacht, Gloucester, bore a gallant part in the fray. 
Her deck was laden with ammunition, her men were near the guns, and 
she was ready for the fight at once. Opening fire, she turned toward 
the Indiana. 

As the destroyers came out of the harbor, the Captain of the Indiana 
signaled, "Gunboats close in." This assured Lieutenant Commander 
Wainwright that he was not in danger from the guns of the Indiana and 
he ordered full speed ahead toward the Furor and Pluton. 

Captain Evans of the Iowa pays tribute to the gallant little craft 
in the following words: 

"While Avatching the beautiful handling of this little ship, I was 
struck with the splendid execution she was doing. Both of her Colt 
automatic guns were blazing, fairly- sweeping the decks of the torpedo 
boats, and her broadside guns were firing with mechanical rapidity. 
She was really 'spitting fire' in every direction and presented a won- 
derful picture to those who were fortunate enough to see it." 

When the Gloucester was within six hundred yards of the Furor, 
the batter}- was concentrated upon it, the Pluton being evidently dis- 
abled. Every shot seemed to strike. The Pluton ran on the rocks and 
blew up, and at the same time the Furor turned toward the Gloucester. 
But as she continued to circle toward the little yacht, the rapid-fire 



THE DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET. 151 

batteries of the Gloucester disabled her. After a little, her own boilers 
exploded. The Gloucester then began to rescue the Spaniards, whose 
condition, by this time, was pitiful. 

The high speed of the Brooklyn and Oregon was used to the fullest 
extent in the chase after the Colon. The Brooklyn was struck at least 
thirty times and was in the thickest of the fight. During the first part 
of the action, the fire of three Spanish ships was concentrated upon the 
Brooklyn, killing one man and wounding three others. 

"Tell the men at the guns to fire deliberately and make every shot 
tell," called the Commodore to Captain Cook. The Brooklyn had de- 
scribed a perfect circle and, still pointing westward, began her famous 
battle. A big shell from the Texas and one from the Brooklyn crashed 
into the Vizcaya just above her armor belt, and cut her fire mains. 
The Vizcaya, whose armor was twice as thick as that on the Brooklyn, 
and whose guns were of larger caliber, had taken a position within a 
thousand yards of the Brooklyn, and the two ships were broadside to 
broadside. 

The range was given and the eight-inch guns of the Brooklyn 
boomed in answer. The smoke was too dense for the target to be seen, 
but the Colon was flashing at intervals with sudden flame. Five minutes 
passed and the Brooklyn did not tremble save from the thunder of her 
own guns. A marine in the foretop shrieked, "Every shot is telling," 
and two thousand pounds of metal were hurled upon the Vizcaya every 
three minutes. The Oregon came up and fired several heavy shells, 
and in less than thirty minutes from the beginning of the fight the colors 
of the Vizcaya. were hauled down, and she ran upon the shore, a hope- 
less wreck. 

The Oregon, who had come from San Francisco by way of Cape 
Horn, was getting her share of the battle. During those thirteen thou- 
sand miles of sea the hope of revenging the Maine had inspired her 
crew. When the signal was first displayed, the men danced about the 
deck, cheering, shouting: "There they come! There they come!" 

The opening fire of the Oregon was directed upon the Teresa, and 
her eight-inch gun was answered with a shower of shot and shell. As 
the column of Spanish ships cleared the harbor, the Oregon moved 
farther to the westward in order to head them off. 

The gun crews settled down to steady and deliberate work, but 
down below the protective decks, in the white heat of the furnace room, 
were the men who enabled the Oregon to accomplish what she did on 
that eventful day. 



152 



SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 



After assisting the destruction of the Teresa, the Oregon turned 
upon the Oquendo. When flames burst from the t^panish ship and she 
turned in shore, Captain Clark called out: "We have settled another, 
now look out for the rest." This was answered by a tremendous cheer, 
which was repeated through the ammunition passages and magazines 
and down in the boiler and engine rooms. 

The forward guns of the Oregon were now fii-ing on the ^'izcaya. 
When that ship finally gave up and headed for the shore, another cheer 




ADIOS, VIZCAYA ! 



from five hundred throats sounded above the din of the guns. From 
the masthead of the Brooklyn fluttered the signal, "Well done, brave 



Oregon. 



The Brooklyn and Oregon then began the long chase of the Colon. 
The Brooklyn was steadily heading for a distant point of land to head 
her off, while the Oregon was forcing her further in shore. The Brooklyn 
signaled, facetiously, "She seems built in Italy." The flags of the 



THE DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET. 



153 



Oregon answered, "She may have been built in Italy, but she will end 
on the coast of Cuba." 

With a bone in her teeth, the Oregon dashed forward. The heroes 
below decks were almost fainting at their tasks. Even the officers of 
the engineer force were feeding the roaring furnaces. From the mast- 
head of the Oregon flew the battle slogan of the army and navy, "Re- 
member the Maine!" 

An old boatswain's mate, stationed in the fighting top, yelled 




CAPTAIN EVANS REFUSING EULATE'S 8WOED. 



through his megaphone, "Oh, I say. Captain, can't you give her a 
thirteen-inch shell, for God's sake!" 

The forward thirteen-inch guns began to fire, slowly and deliber- 
ately. The crew were cheering wildly, and just after one o'clock a thir- 
teen-inch shell struck under the Colon's stern and her colors fell. The 
bugle sounded, "Cease firing," and the last shot had been fired. 

The pall of smoke had not lifted nor the last note of the bugle died 



154 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

away when the thunder of the guns was replaced by the strains of the 
"Star Spangled Banner," from the band. On the forward deck of the 
Oregon, five hundred and fifty men, not one of them injured, were 
dancing about in a fever of joy. There were rousing cheers for the 
Captain, and amid cheers the Brooklyn signaled, "Congratulations upou 
the glorious victory." 

The welcome of the fleet and the ovation given Captain Clark on 
board the New York must have made the stately Oregon proud of her 
day's work, while the message that fluttered from the Brooklyn, "Wel- 
come back, brave Oregon," made her crew cheer again. 

The rescue of the Spaniards was an act of simple mercy. In this 
work the Iowa took a leading part. Captain Eulate, of the Vizcaya, 
wounded, was received aboard the Iowa with military honors. He 
offered his sword to Captain Evans, but the tender was magnanimously 
refused. Two hundred and fifty of his men were on the deck of the 
Iowa. Afar on the horizon, the magnificent ship he had so lately com- 
manded was a mass of flame. With heartbreak in his voice he stretched 
out his arms toward the ship that he loved, and cried, "Adios, Vizcaya." 

The plucky little Gloucester had been busy with the wounded for 
some time. Admiral Cervera surrendered to Lieutenant Commander 
Wainwright. The men of the Ghiucester clambered on board the burn- 
ing Maria Teresa until Admiral Cervera remonstrated. 

"The fire is very near her magazines," he said. 

"It does not matter. Admiral," returned Lieutenant W^ainwright, 
"we will not go until we have rescued all your men." And go she did 
not, though the armored sides of the flagship were almost red hot. 

As the Iowa resumed her blockading station, the Gloucester 
brought her prisoners upon board. All preparations were made to 
receive the Admiral with the honors due his rauk. The full marine 
guard of eighty men were paraded, the officers and crew of the Vizcaya 
stationed to do him honor, and the crew of the Iowa clustered over the 
turrets, naked as they came out of battle. 

Lieutenant Wainwright accompanied the Admiral. The guard 
presented arms, the officers uncovered, the bugles sounded, and tlie 
crew of the Iowa, with instinctive pride in a brave man who took his 
defeat like a soldier, broke forth into cheers that lasted fully a minute. 
The Admiral bowed his thanks. He was scantily clad, bare-headed, and 
without shoes, yet he was every inch a soldier and a man. 

Most of the prisoners were on the Iowa, and out of respect to the 
dead and wounded and defeated, there was little cheering done. The 



THE DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET. 155 

dead Spanish seamen, covered with their country's flag, were buried in 
the sea from the declc of a conquering ship, with their own chaplain 
performing the service. 

Yet throughout the fleet enthusiasm ran high. The men on the 
Oregon were hoarse with cheering; the crew of the Brooklyn were wild 
with delight. 

"Three cheers for Commodore Schley," shouted some one, and the 
decks of the Brooklyn echoed a resounding cheer. The oflicers were 
grouped upon the forward deck, and then there was a scene which could 
have taken place nowhere in the world but on the deck of an American 
battleship. Commodore Schley, deeply touched, stepped forward. 

"Thank you, boys," he said, "but I didn't do it. You're the boys 
who did it. Let the officers cheer the crew." 

Hats came off instantly and the officers paid their tribute to the 
crew — the men who swabbed the decks, hoisted ammunition and ran 
the furnaces; then three times three for the men behind the guns. 

On the American side throughout was a superb indifference to 
danger. The men were calm and collected, with the cool Anglo-Saxon 
courage which faces imminent death simply as a matter of discipline 
and duty. A cadet on the Iowa, where the fire was thickest, coolly 
tilted a camera to get a snap shot of the enemy. The men on the Glouces- 
ter rescued the seamen from the Furor and Plutou in the face of a heavy 
fire from the Spanish battleships. On the Brooklyn, a man overcome 
by the heat of the furnaces was carried to the deck. Four of his fellow 
workers wei'e around him when he opened his eyes. He looked around 
at them and said, "Why the devil don't you fellows get back to work? 
What are yer standin' there for?'' And as they slunk away, he said to 
the doctor: "Say, Doc, are we catchin' the dago?" 

It was also on the Brooklyn that a man replaced the battle flag, 
which had been shot away, in the face of a heavy fire, and there that a 
man crawled out on the muzzle of a gun to ram out a shell. The enemy 
was firing and death was certain if he dropped off, but his attempt was 
successful and he returned amid the cheers of his mates. 

Up to July 3, 1898, the British navy had held the record for gunnery 
at forty-two per cent. At the battle off Santiago the American navy 
advanced it to eighty-two per cent. 

Surely the Fourth of July never held a greater significance. Put 
to another fearful test, the undefeated flag shone with a newer light. 
The city of Santiago had been taken by as brave a charge as an army 
ever made. Over the far-off Philippines, the Stars and Stripes floated. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 

Sometimes men attain to fame gradually, sometimes by one deed 
that makes nations pause and hold their breath in wonder. Of these 
was Dewey. 

Before the battle of Manila, the great mass of his countrymen, even, 
had never heard of him. Now his name is spoken with awe and respect 
in two continents and he will go down to history as Admiral Dewey, 
hero, who altered the map of the world in a single hour. 

Success seemed sudden — the matter of a moment. But through 
sixty-two inconspicuous years, while discipline and experience were ac- 
complishing their perfect work, DcAvey was making ready for the battle 
of Manila. That he should use the opportunity when it came was as 
inevitable as the conclusion of a logical premise. 

Dewey as a boy, however, had only latent possibilities. He was a 
leader among his playmates even then, but his accui'acy of judgment, 
and his rare power of counting the cost, were acquired later. Fifty 
years or so ago he was a hot-headed, generous, obstinate schoolboy in 
the bleak, barren village school house, with its stiff wooden benches 
and rough desks. His most innocent pastime w^as carving his initials 
wherever space offered, and the G. D.'s appearing all about, even now, 
testify to the good edge of his jackknife. These were the days when he 
actetl his own pleasure, and when his definition of pleasure was not the 
one given in Ihe dictionary. 

With two other strong, muscular boys, he formed a kind of invinci- 
ble triangle that kept the whole school in subservience, terrorized the 
school trustees and made the school such an extremely unpleasant 
place for the teacher that one pedagogue after another left it in despair. 

But the haughty triumvirate was destined to meet a most humiliat- 
ing Waterloo at the hands of a teacher half their size, weighing just 
ninety jjounds. 

The man who inflicted the defeat is now Major J. K. Pangbom, but 
then he was only Mr. Pangbom, the new teacher fresh from college. The 
boys thought they had found an easy victim and began with their usual 
tactics. 

156 




OFFICER DEWEY THE LAST TO LEAVE THE BURNING SHI! 
" MISSISSIPPI " 




ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 157 

"I took charge of the school," Major Pangborn says in telling the 
story, "and for the first week there was no outbreak. George Dewey 
was one of the boldest and brightest of the younger lads, and above all 
things loved a fight. He was ever looking for trouble. He had the per- 
sonal qualities of a leader, and while there was nothing you could call 
bad about him, he resented authority and evinced a sturdy determina- 
tion not to submit to it, unless it suited him. 

''The crisis arrived in this fashion: After the usual afternoon recess 
one Monday, Dewey did not return to the school room. I sent for him, 
but the messenger returned with the message that George had declared 
that he wasn't coming and that I might go to the devil. After school 
that day, George, who had climbed into the cupola of the old statehouse, 
amused himself by pelting the children with snowballs, and when I 
went out and commanded him to come down, he again advised me to 
go to the devil. 

"I was mad, and when I got home I spent the evening perfecting a 
plan of campaign for the next day. I first of all provided myself with a 
very substantial rawhide, and at a late hour that night took it to the 
school room and placed it over the ledge of the entrance door, where it 
would be ready to my hand when I entered school next day. I also se- 
cured two or three round sticks of cord-wood and placed them on top 
of the wood box in the school room where I could reach them easily. I 
then went to bed and slept like a baby, for I had resolved that when the 
rumpus started I would be the first to fire a broadside. 

"Dewey came to school the next day as if nothing had happened and 
took his place at his desk as demurely as any young miss of them all. 
His smile was both child-like and bland. I wasted no time in prelim- 
inaries, but as soon as the scholars were in their places I summoned 
Dewey to the platform in a terrible voice. 

"He came with a saucy twinkle in his eyes, and seemed to survey 
my slender proportions with a contempt bordering on amusement. Then 
I began to talk. I summed up the head and front of his offending in a 
voice that brought ice to the window-panes, and wound up by saying 
that he must forthwith say he was sorry for having misbehaved him- 
self, apologize both to me and to the school for what he had done and 
promise to be obedient and orderly in the future. I told him if he did 
not do this I should punish him then and there. 

"Dewey laughed. * * * The next instant, I and the rawhide were 

winding and tossing around him like the fire of one of the warships that 

have made his name famous the world over. I was little and slender, 
11 



158 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

but so also was the rawhide, and the two of us so demoralized Dewey 
that almost before I was aware of it he was Ij'ing in a heap on the floor. 
He was bleeding from a wound in the hand, and Avhimpering as any boy 
would at receiving so tremendous a thrashing. He was conquered, 
while I glared over his prostrate form at the other rebellious spirits in 
the school. 

"For an instant they sat motionless, so extreme was their surprise. 
Then seven of them started up the defile formed by the row of desks, to 
have my blood. But I was ready for them. Seizing a stick of cord-wood 
from the firebox I dealt the first boy who crossed into my territory a 
blow between the eyes that sent him to the floor with a crash. The 
others paused. 

" 'Sit down!' I roared, and down they all sat. 

"That ended the Dewey revolt." 

Mr. Pangborn took the boy home to his father, "somewhat the worse 
for wear,"' he told him, "but still in condition for school work." Dr. 
Dewey thanked him with his fine old-fashioned courtesy, and said that 
if the lesson needed emphasis it should have it. But Dewey knew when 
he had had enough, and when he had met his master. 

He turned over a new leaf and soon was transformed into one of the 
best pupils Major Pangborn had. The other boys followed his example, 
and the school became as famous for its order, as in the past it had been 
notorious for disorder. Dewey and his teacher grew to be such friends 
that when Mr. Pangborn went to another school Dewey accompanied 
him. 

Many years afterwards there was a meeting of the two. Dewey was 
then a lieutenant in the navy. "I shall never cease to be grateful to 
you," he said to his old teacher. "You made a man of me." Then he 
added with a smile, "But for that thrashing you gave me in Montpelier 
I should probably have been in state prison before this." 

Admiral Dewey was born in his father's old colonial house in ^lont- 
pelier, Vermont, the day after Christmas in the year 1837. His mother, 
Mary Perrin, died in his childhood, and when he was eight years old, his 
father. Dr. Dewey, was married again to Susan Edson Tarbox. Dr. 
Dewey was a courtly, polished gentleman of the old school, honored 
throughout the whole village for his integrity and force of character. 
In his early life, he studied medicine and settled in Montpelier as a phy- 
sician. Fntil he was fifty he continued in the active practice of his pro- 
fession. Then he founded the National Life Insurance Company, to the 
success of which he devoted his time and energv for the rest of his life. 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 159 

The family kept up always its old-time style and stateliness, and 
Dewey came rightfully by the love of form and ceremony that is char- 
acteristic of him. Mrs. Dr. Dewey drove about Montpelier in a low- 
hanging barouche. Silver-plated harness clanked on her horses, and 
when the townspeople saw the barouche api^roaching, half in awe and 
half in jest, they whispered: 

''Here comes the Prince of Wales' carriage." 

Dr. Dewey was a man with a deep religious nature. He founded 
Christ Episcopal Church of Montpelier, and in many other ways contrib- 
uted to the benevolent institutions of the town. His second wife died 
also, and at the age of fifty-four he married the third time. In 1877, at 
the age of seventy-six, he died full of years and honor. 

It was fortunate that the Admiral had such a man for a father. He 
guided him without constraining him where it was possible. But in 
an active boy's childhood are compassed so many misdemeanors, that 
the boy George reaped many times the just punishment of his mischief, 
which his father did not fail to inflict when there was need. The village 
life gave him much freedom, and the opportunity to develop physically 
which has served him in good stead all his life through. 

On the banks of the "Onion" River, which swept through the mead- 
ows at the rear of his home, he carved little boats and sent them floating 
off, until he was strong enough and large enough to join in the sports 
which the river afforded. In swimming and skating, he at once became 
a leader, outstripping all his other companions with his feats, causing 
them often, it is likely, to break the tenth commandment as they watched 
him. 

It was in this same little innocent "Onion" River, if accounts are 
true, that Dewey had a narrower escape from death than in all the 
rest of his perilous career afterwards. The best swimmers in the neigh- 
borhood one afternoon were vying with each other to see how long each 
could stay under water. Dewey's turn came last and he went down with 
a determination to beat all previous records. But he did not come up 
again. The seconds lengthened and the boys realized that something 
must have happened. Their cries for help brought men from a field near 
by, and the boy was finally pulled out limp and unconscious and laid on 
the bank. His friends worked over him anxiously until the color came 
into his face again, and when he opened his eyes, they felt almost as if 
a miracle had been performed in his behalf. But the fii"st words that 
Dewey's gradually returning breath euabled him to utter showed his 
unconquerable spirit. This was the question that his best friend of all 



160 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

lieard him ask when he bent over him affectionately to hear what he 
was saying: "Did — I^beat — them?" 

Other athletic sports besides aquatic feats also came within his 
province. The day when the legislature opened its session each year 
was his great opportunity. People from all the country about thronged 
to the capital city. The little boys munched gingerbread and peanuts 
and the big boys of the several towns drank sweet cider and engaged 
in feats of strength. In these competitions, young Dewey invariably 
came off victor, and the moment when all eyes were turned upon him, 
as he bore off the championship for another twelve months, must have 
been as sweet as any later victory. 

Hi^ was not a great reader, but what he did read he put as quickly 
as possible to a practical use. "Kobinson Crusoe," for instance, was 
one of his favorite works, because a boy could get so many new games 
to play out of it. The life of Ilannibal, also, was very interesting, as 
giving a fine chance for thrilling scenes from life. Sometimes, however, 
these realistic reproductions were attended with much inconvenience, 
as when Hannibal, in the person of young George, attended by his army, 
composed of his little sister Mary, plunged through the Alps, repre- 
sented by a huge soft snowdrift. As a result of the campaign, the army 
went to bed for a week, to recover from a heavy cold, and during that 
time Dewey was deprived of his most eificient assistant. 

This faithful sister was a very necessary part of the circuses, dramas 
and minstrel shows given in the Dewey barn. George on these occa- 
sions was playwright, director, prompter, business manager, stage 
director and star actor. Mary only liked these things for her brother's 
sake, and, when she could, shunned an appearance before the footlights, 
but sometimes it was necessary for her to come to the rescue. Once 
the ten-year-old leading lady, after the irresponsible fashion of dramatic 
geniuses, failed to put in an appearance. George, not to be overcome by 
any situation, however serious, announced to his sister that she must 
take her place. Mary protested that she did not know her lines. But 
George said that made no difference, he would fire his pistol whenever 
she stumbled. The scheme worked so well that shooting became a reg- 
ular feature of the shows until Dr. Dewey discovered it and put a stop 
to it before any casualties occurred. 

George and this accommodating little sister acted out many stirring 
dramas together, and their acting always belonged to the realistic 
school. One of their favorite subjects was some old-time legend witli 
modern stage setting. A neighbor, who used to observe their fertility of 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. ICl 

resource with rnuoh interest, describes one of their histrionic attempts 
thus: *'I saw Mary wade into the river where the water was up to her 
knees, and then George, with a wild yell, dashed out after her, brandish- 
ing a big stick, with which he beat the water in every direction. He 
threw his left arm around her and escorted her to shore. When they 
came up the bank I asked what the matter was, and the little girl, with 
a charming lisp, said: 'I was being rescued from a ferocious alligator 
by my brother George, who came in time to save me,' " What was said to 
Mary when she reached home with her fresh, clean dress, ready once 
more for the ironing board, is not included in the neighbor's tale. 

Many other stories are told about Dewey by his townspeople. One 
of them, known as the Admiral's flrst cruise, shows a diplomacy pro- 
phetic of his later achievements. 

When he was about eleven, he started out one day with his father's 
horse and buggy for a tour of adventure, with his friend. Will Redfield. 
Incidentally they were to drive the cows home. When they came to Dog 
River,, however, which enters the Winooski River (known in Dewey's 
boyhood as the Onion River), some miles from the town, they found it 
higher than the oldest inhabitant in the town had ever known it to be. 
The ford was impassable and William wished to turn back, but George 
would hear nothing of it. 

He plunged into the ford at full speed and found no bottom. The 
light buggy went adrift and floated off toward Lake Champlaiu, while 
the two boys scrambled to the back of the horse and managed to land 
with no personal discomfort except a good wetting. When George 
reached home, his father was away on a professional call. The buggy 
was gone and the horse seemed rather shattered as to his nervous sys- 
tem. It was a very sad state of affairs, but the boy did not meditate 
long. He went straight to bed without waiting for his supper. 

In due course of time his father arrived, and sought out his erring 
son. George was apparently asleep, but when his father iu round terms 
began to tell him what he thought of his rashness, George, in a small 
voice, replied from under the covers: 

"You ought to be thankful that my life wath thpared." 

The hero of Manila comes of a race of fighters. Enthusiastic geneal- 
ogists trace the Dewey family back through forty generations, even to 
Charlemagne himself, gathering into the relationship Pepin, King of 
Italy, and half a dozen other kings and noblemen. However that may 
be, it is a fact beyond dispute, that as far back as the average mind can 
trace the Dewey family, it is one of i)atriots and fighters. Thomas 



1G2 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

]>(,'wej, known in history as ''Dewe^' tlic Settler," was the first of his 
name on American soil. He was one of the splendid band of sturdy dis- 
senters that left old England for the freedom of the new world. George 
Dewey is a representative of the ninth generation since his time, and 
between the earliest American Dewey and the latest there have been 
many brave men of the name who have fought Indians, or any other 
foe that menaced the safety of their country or fireside during the 
dramatic chapters of our country's history. 

With such an inheritance, it is not strange that the thought of wai"S 
and battles should come early to the boy's mind and that his training 
should have made him fit to take part in them. 

When he was sixteen he went for a year to the Norwich Militai-y 
School at Norwich, Vermont. From there, his father intended to send 
him to the West Point Military Academy. But the boy's heart was set 
(111 the navy. His father did not think much of sailors and told him so. 
Still he was unwilling to thwart his son and yielded to his desire. One 
of his schoolmates, George Spalding, had the same ambition, and it 
must have been a bitter disappointment to the boy Dewey when Senator 
Foote of Vermont, who had the choice to make, gave the appointment 
to his friend and named him as the altei'uate. George Spalding's 
mother interfering, however, withdrew her son from the competition, 
and the appointment fell to Dewey after all. 

George Spalding is now a minister in Syracuse, New York, and after 
the battle of Manila he preached a sermon commemorating the victory 
of his old schoolmate. 

At seventeen, in 1854, Dewey put the village life with its sorrows 
and its joys, its defeats and triumphs, behind him to erter the Naval 
Academy at Annapolis. The entrance reijuirements there have always 
been severe. A candidate must be, first of all, over fifteen and under 
twenty. The boy who passes the best examination is usually selected 
and the next best is made alternative to take his place if for any reason 
the first candidate is rejected at the aca<lemy. 

Examinations are held in May and Sei)t('inber. When the prelim- 
inary tests are successfully over, the boy ])resents himself at the acad- 
emy. There a number of rigid examinations await him. To begin with, 
three medical officers of the navy pronounce on his physical fitness. 
Weakness of the eyes, impaired hearing, impediment of the speech, even 
the loss of a number of teeth will throw a candidate out, for Uncle Sam's 
sailor boys must be as sound as a man can be. 

When the medical board has passed a boy with a favorable report. 



'ADMIRAL GEORGE DEIVEY. 1G3 

his troubles are only half over. The academic board then takes him 
in charge, and tests his proficiency in reading, writing, spelling, arith- 
metic, geography, English grammar. United States history, and alge- 
bra. If he fails to reach the standard in any one of these branches, 
away he goes back home again, with his hopes of Annapolis shattered 
for that year at least. Forty per cent only of the candidates are able 
to pass the two boards. Of these Dewey was one. 

Those who enter the academy bind themselves by oath to serve in 
the navy of the United States, unless discharged, forever. But even so, 
only about half finish their course. The rest of them find that the study 
and discipline are too severe and they drop out of the ranks. But Dewey 
held on to the end and received his reward. 

The four years at Annapolis were very important in the boy's develop- 
ment. The discipline of the school was strict, but did not jirevent him 
from fighting for his personal rights. He took advantage of this 
leniency more than once to establish his position. For though he was 
not quarrelsome he resented insults. 

Even at that time, the line between Northern boys and Southern 
boys was sharply defined at the Naval Academy just as it was at West 
Point. Dewey did not hesitate to array himself with the Northern fac- 
tion. The Southern boys found him an unyielding opponent, and they 
made a concerted effort to provoke a quaiTel. The effort was most suc- 
cessful, for while Dewey accepted the name of "Yankee" with evident 
pride and enjoyment, "dough-face" and the other appellations which the 
Southern boys bestowed upon him tried his soul exceedingly. 

When he could stand it no longer, he waited one day for his principal 
tormentor as he was coming from the mess-room, knocked him down and 
punished him thoroughly. Soon after, an inkstand was thrown at 
Dewey's head in the reading-room. Again he sought out the offender 
and again won a decisive victory. His antagonist, however, was not 
willing to let the matter drop so, and sent a challenge to Dewey, saying 
that he would prefer pistols at close range and that the duel must be to 
the death. 

The challenge was accepted. On the day appointed, everything 
was ready at the place of meeting. The distance had been paced off, 
and the seconds were just ready to place their principals, when the 
officers of the Academy, warned by one of the frightened students, 
appeared and ended the proceedings. 

Sixty-five boys began the course with Dewey. Of them all, only four- 



I(i4 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

teen received diplomas at the end of four years. Dewey, then not twen- 
ty-one years, ranked fifth in his class. 

The next two years were passed on shipboard. Dewey's first cruise 
was on the old steam frigate Wabash, under the command of Captain 
Barron of Virginia, who afterwards held to his State in the war and 
served in the Confederate navy. The Wabash was on the European 
station and the greater part of the time was spent in the MediteiTanean, 
with the shores of which Dewey became very familiar. 

In 1860 Dewey returned to Annapolis for his final examination. He 
had made good use of the two years, and this time he led all his class- 
mates. Combined with his former grade this gave him the final posi-- 
tion of third in his class and the rank of passed midshipman. He 
obtained a furlough and went home to Vermont to visit his father before 
starting out on another cruise. 

In February, ISGl, he received his first commission. Rumors of war 
were floating about. Everyone felt the suspense of a delayed crisis. 
Many Southern officers resigned, and Dewey was consequently promoted 
to the grade of master, a title no longer in use, corresponding to that 
of a lieutenant of the junior grade in the modern navy. 

On the twelfth of April, Fort Sumter was fired upon. Dewey was 
at the old home in Montpelier, enjoying his well-earned period of leisure, 
when the news came. Six days afterwards, he received his commission 
as lieutenant and was assigned to duty aboard the Mississippi under 
Captain Melancton Smith. Dewey was destined to see fierce fighting and 
to do many brave deeds before he left the ship. For the Mississippi was 
made a part of the West Gulf blockading squadron, under the command 
of Captain David G. Farragut, the grand old hero of many battles. 

On the twentieth of January, 1862, the fleet sailed for the Gulf of 
Mexico, to capture the City of New Orleans, one of the most formidable 
Confederate strongholds. Farragut's first act when he reached the 
mouth of the Mississippi River was to send his chief of stafif. Captain 
Bell, up the river with two gunboats to reconnoiter. Captain Bell re- 
turned with the report that the approach to the city was strongly forti- 
fied. T^-o forts were to be passed, thirty miles above the head of the 
passes, Jackson on the right bank, and St. Philip a little farther up the 
stream on the left. The Confederate government had taken possession 
of both of these and had put them in thorough repair. Large hulks were 
moved in line across the river, with heavy chains extending from one to 
the other. The enemy had used rafts of logs also and the passage be- 
tween the forts was entirely closed. Moreover, along the banks of the 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 165 

river were ranged two hundred sharpshooters to pick off Federals 
wherever they could and to give the forts warning of their movements. 

Beyond the forts, a Confederate squadron of fifteen vessels was gath- 
ered, under Commodore J. K. Mitchell, to mete out punishment to the 
Federals in case the grim lessons the forts would give should not prove 
effective enough. 

The task that lay before Farragut seemed dangerous and difticult 
beyond hope of success. To break through these obstructions, pass up 
the channel between the forts, conquer the Confederate fleet, steam up 
to New Orleans, and demand the surrender of the city, — this seemed a 
fairy tale, but Farragut made it history, and Dewey took lessons. 

The first difiiculty lay in getting some of the boats through the passes 
into the river. The Colorado, which drew twenty-two feet of water, 
could not be taken in at all, as there were only fifteen feet of water on 
the bar, and the Mississippi, after being lightened in even- possible way, 
was dragged ignominiously in by tugboats through a foot of mud. On 
the afternoon of April 27, the mortar boats were placed in position to 
open fire on the forts. For six days, with little interruption, the bom- 
bardment continued. Then Farragut decided that an attempt might 
be made to pass the fort. On April 24, therefore, the Federal fleet got 
under way. As soon as the advance ship of the column came within 
range, the enemy opened fire, but one by one the Union ships went by. 

The Confederate gunboats were gathered together above the forts 
and they met the attacking fleet with a rapid, heavy fire. But they Vvere 
overmatched and proved only an incident in the general progress. Just 
one hour and ten minutes after weighing anchor, the vessels had jjassed 
the forts and were on their way to New Orleans. 

It was one of the greatest feats in the history of naval warfare. 
With seventeen wooden vessels, against the swift current of the stream, 
little more than half a mile in width, running the forts, imperilled by 
burning rafts, Fan-agut went to meet the enemy's fleet, two of whose 
vessels were ironclad. He either captured or destroyed every vessel of 
it and lost but one of his own squadron. The achievement was not to 
be repeated until the war with Spain gave another great man a great 
opportunity. 

On the morning of April 25, the fleet reached the Chalmette and 
McOehn batteries, three miles away from New Orleans. Here Farra- 
gut's right of way was hotly disputed. But the batteries were silenced 
and the fleet pushed on until the City of the Crescent was fairly under 



166 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

their guns. They had reached the vantage at the cost of thirty-seven 
men killed and one hundred iui<l fifty-seven wounded. 

An incident is told of Dewey during the progress of the fleet up 
the Mississippi that illustrates well his coolness and self-control. The 
Union ships went up the liver so near to one shore that the muzzles of 
the Southern guns protruded almost over the decks of the vessels. This 
was a piece of strategy on the part of the old sea warrior that saved him 
the life of many a man. For instead of being raked from both shores, as 
would have been the case if the vessels had gone up the middle of the 
stream, they were so far from one shore that the projectiles could not 
reach them and so near the other that it was almost impossible to 
depress the guns sufficiently to do them very great damage. 

Dewey was executive officer on his ship, and during the forward 
movement he stood on the bridge looking about him with calm uncon- 
cern whenever the smoke lifted. A brother officer thus describes him : 

"He could be seen in the red and yellow glare flung from the cannous' 
mouths. It was like a thunderstorm with almost incessant lightning. 
For a time all would be dark. Then the forts would belch forth, and 
there was Dewey in the midst of it, the flames from the guns almost 
touching him, and the big shot and shell passing near enough to him to 
blow him over with their breath, while he held firmly to the rail. His 
hat had been blown off and his eyes were aflame. He gave his orders 
with the air of a man in thorough command of himself. He took in 
everything. He saw a point of advantage and seized it at once." 

Suddenly a Confederate ram darted out from the opposite shore. 
One of the other ves.sels barely escaped destruction from it, then the 
little death-dealing craft turned her attention to Dewey's vessel. She 
ran off for a considerable distance, and coming about, started for the 
Mississippi with a full head of steam. To the wooden ships of that day, 
a blow from one of these rams was necessarily fatal, and it looked as if 
the ship was inevitably doomed. But Dewey did not swerve or flinch. 
He gave an order to a non-commissioned officer by his side, in an or- 
dinary tone, and the officer disappeared to the gun deck. The ram was 
coming nearer every instant. Dewey paced back and forth on the bridge 
api»areutly oblivious. 

Just at the instant, when it seemed as if every man might put up his 
last petition and prepare to die bravely, Dewey's vessel swerved to one 
side and then was hauled up sharp, so that her broadside was presented 
full towards the ram. 

The tables were turned. Every gun on the Northern vessel centered 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 167 

its missiles of destruction on the little Confederate ram. Her inefficient 
armor was pierced in a dozen places and she settled so rapidly that it 
was found necessary to ground her in order to save her crew. 

Dewey came down from the bridge, when the vessel had gone on a 
mile or so. His hat was blown away, and he was so begrimed by the 
smoke of the guns that he resembled nothing so much as a coal heaver. 
One of the men in the vessel says that he did not even look disturbed 
and that he was not nearly so excited as the men on the ships ahead, 
beyond the danger line, who were looking back with dread, expecting 
to see the ship go to the bottom at any moment. 

It is characteristic of Dewey that, as soon as the danger was over, 
he took a leisurely course to his cabin, and did not emerge until soap, 
water and fresh clothing had brought him to that pitch of cleanliness 
and order which his fastidious taste demanded. 

Ou the twenty-fifth of April, the fleet anchored opposite New Orleans 
and the formal capitulation of the city followed a few days later. Every- 
thing on shore was in confusion. The levees were ablaze and the mob 
element threatened to break out at any moment. Marines were sent 
ashore and the public buildings put under guard until the arrival of 
General Butler on the first of May. 

At that time Admiral Farragut sent seven of his vessels up the river 
and Natchez and Baton Rouge surrendered without resistance. For 
several months the Mississippi, with the other vessels of the fleet, 
patroled the river between New Orleans and Vicksburg, ascending the 
bayous and doing good work for the Federal cause. 

During this time Farragut visited the Mississippi on several occa- 
sions, to steam up the river for reconnoitering purposes. The Southern- 
ers had a trick of rushing a field-piece to the top of a high bank, firing 
pointblank at the vessel and then ducking down again. On one occa- 
sion Dewej' dodged a shot and Farragut noticed him. 

"Why don't you stand firm. Lieutenant?" he asked. "Don't you 
know you can't jump quick enough?" 

Very soon after, under similar circumstances, the Admiral jumped 
to one side as a shot came whistling through the air. 

The Lieutenant smiled but kept quiet. The Admiral's conscience, 
however, was troubling him. He cleared his throat once or twice, 
shifted from one foot to the other and finally exclaimed: 

"Why, sir, you can't help it, sir. It's human nature!" 



» 



168 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 

In March it was decided to pass Port Hudson, in order to blockade 
the river above it. Port Hudson is at a bend in the Mississippi, where 
there are bluffs a hundred feet high. On those of the east banlc, the 
Confederates had mounted nineteen heavy guns and on the opposite 
shore just below the bend a dangerous shoal was located. 

Commander Farragut had with him the flagship Hartford, the 
Monongahela, the Mississippi, the Richmond, Genesee, Albatross and 
Kineo. On the night of March 14, at ten o'clock the signal was given 
to advance. As the ships drew near the batteries, the enemy throw 
up rockets and opened fire. Along the shore, at the foot of the bluffs, 
powerful lamps were placed like locomotive headlights, and bonfires 
already stacked were touched off. The ships hugged the east shore to 
avoid the dangerous shallows, passing so close to the Confederate gun- 
ners that they could be heard swearing as thej- worked. 

The smoke from the guns and from the shore soon covered the ships 
like a cloud and involved them in even more danger than the Confed- 
erate batteries. The pilots could see nothing. 

Sometimes the flagship in the lead pushed ahead of her own smoke, 
but the rest of the ships were as helpless as if they had been adrift 
without rudder or compass. The Hartford was caught by the current 
at the bend of the river, and swept around nearly on shore with her 
head toward the batteries. Her stern grazed the ground, but with the 
assistance of the Albatross, she was backed clear, and passed by the 
batteries without serious injury. Only one man killed and two wounded 
was her record. 

One man fell overboard, and his agonizing cries for help Avere heard 
on board the other ships as they passed, powerless to save him. 

The Confederates did not depress their guns sufficiently to hit the 
Hartford as often as the ships that followed. The Richmond and her 
consort, the Genesee, were damaged and compelled to turn downstream, 
with three killed and fifteen wounded. The Mtmougahela went aground, 
but she finally floated free and drifted back the way she had come, with 
a loss of six killed and twenty-one wounded. 

Next came the Mississippi, firing whenever her guns could be 
brought to bear. She was just passing the last and most formidable 
battery, and all on board were breathing a sigh of relief at danger 
over, when she grounded and heeled over. The engines were reversed at 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 169 

once, and the port guns run in to bring her on an even keel, while the 
fire from her starboard battery was reopened on the forts. Steam was 
increased to the last ounce of pressure which the boilers would bear. 
Shot and shell fell all about in a deadly shower, raking the decks again 
and again. In the fearful purgatory, the engines strained and tugged 
without avail, for an eternity of thirty minutes. 

Captain Smith then saw that it would be impossible to get the ship 
afloat, and he gave the order to spike the port battery and throw the 
guns overboard. But before it could be carried out, the enemy's firing 
became so rapid and severe, that the captain decided to abandon the 
ship at once in order to save the lives of the men. They were exposed 
to the crossfire of three batteries, with the shot hulling the vessel fre- 
quently. Sick and wounded were ordered up. The three small boats, 
all the Mississippi had, were immediately employed in landing them and 
the crew. There were nine chances out of ten that the men would be 
taken prisoners; but whatever happened to them, they, as well as their 
commanders, were determined that their ship should not be captured by 
the enemy, and their own guns trained against them by Confederate 
hands. 

All the small arms were thrown overboard, the engineers were or- 
dered to destroy the engine, and the ship was set on fire in the forward 
store-room. A yeoman was sent below to make sure that this was thor- 
oughly done, when three shots entered the store-room, letting in the 
water and putting out the flames before his eyes. 

The ship was then set on fire in four places aft. Every man left the 
ship except Captain Smith and his first lieutenant, George Dewey. "Are 
you sure she will burn?" the captain asked anxiously. "I'll give a last 
look," Dewey answered. 

He took his life in his hands, and the few moments before he reap- 
peared were full of suspense for the captain. But the young lieuten- 
ant's time had not yet come. He could not be spared from the future of 
the United States. He reported that all was well and then the two men, 
with heavy hearts, abandoned the ship that had carried them so well 
through other hot contests. 

By the removal of the crew, and the destruction of her upper works, 
the Mississippi was relieved of so much weight that she floated off the 
bank and drifted down the river. This circumstance, which would 
have been the deliverance of the crew an hour before, became only a 
menace and danger to the Union vessels below, who could not bring any 
rules of navigation to bear when the great burning hulk swept towards 



170 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

them. But, fortunately, she passed them without doing any injury, and 
at lialf past five in the morning blew up with a terrific crash. The sound 
of the explosion was like a knell to the sailors of the Mississippi, but 
the Confederates gave a shout of joy for miles around. 

One of the crew of the Mississippi at Port Hudson describes Dewey as 
the coolest man on the ship. He tells of a command which illustrates 
well his practical genius. 

"The order," says this man, "to attack Port Hudson came at night. 
Dewey, on his own responsibility, ordered us to whitewash the decks, 
So that the gun crews would have a chance to see the running gear of 
the guns. Such an order had never been given before, to the crew of a 
man-of-war." 

Another marine tells how Dewey, for the second time that night, 
risked his life without a thought. 

"The crew were told to save themselves," he says. "Lieutenant 
Dewey could have escaped easily, as he was a bold and powerful swim- 
mer, but he was too unselfish to think only of himself so long as any of 
his comrades were in danger. Not far from him he spied a seaman who 
was trying his best to keep above water, after his right arm had been 
paralyzed by a bullet. Dewey struck right out for him and gave him a 
lift, till they reached a floating spar. Then the wounded man was towed 
ashore in safety." 

Even at this time Dewey was beginning to make his personality felt 
in the navy. He was cautious in forming his plans but fearless in carry- 
ing them out. 

Captain Smith in his report of the battle says: "I consider that 
I should be neglecting a most important duty should I omit to mention 
the coolness of my executive officer, Mr. Dewey, and the steady, fearless 
and gallant manner in which the officers and men of the Mississippi de- 
fended her, and the orderly and quiet manner in which she was aban- 
doned after being thirty-five minutes aground under the fire of the 
enemy's batteries." 

No one knows the exact number of lives lost on the Mississippi, but 
when the ship's company was mustered after the action, sixty-four were 
found missing out of a total crew of two hundred and ninety-seven. 
Fully twenty-five of the missing were believed to have been killed. 
After the loss of the Mississippi Lieutenant Dewey was transferred to 
one of the smaller gunboats, which Admiral FaiTagut used as a dis- 
patch boat. Closer relations were thus brought about between the two 
men, and the Admiral became much attached to his young lieutenant, 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 171 

while Dewey could have found no better school of experience for his 
future needs if he had hunted the world over than this association with 
the great naval genius. 

On the fourth of July, 1863, Vicksburg sun-endered, and the Missis- 
sippi was open from Cairo to the Gulf. Down to New Orleans, the 
command of the river was given to Admiral Porter, and Farragut was 
ordered to coutine himself to the coast blockade. 

Dewey was transferred to the steam gunboat, Agawam, which was 
attached to the North Atlantic blockading squadi'on. He was made ex- 
executive officer of the vessel, and Clark Fisher, the chief engineer, was a 
messmate of his. Even at that time, Mr. Fisher says that Dewey was 
considered one of the best men in the service. He was prompt without 
being hasty, a good disciplinarian, and active, energetic and alert in 
everything he undertook. 

Mr. Fisher knew the executive officer's capabilities well. He saw 
him meet many a crisis with the same wise, clear, direct judgment that 
carried him into Manila Bay. For the Agawam was in the heat of battle 
much of the time, aud those tense moments when whistling bullets and 
screeching shells are bearing death all about, test men's souls as nothing 
else can do. The Agawam, too, was in constant danger of destruction 
from the torpedoes released up the river by the enemy, but Dewey took 
the hour and the day as it came, undisturbed and imperturbable. 

Dewey and Fisher became veiy good friends during their service to- 
gether, but even with so close a friend it was difficult for Dewey to 
overcome the natural reserve of his nature. 

He was an obscure young officer then, now he is a hero whom the 
whole world delights to honor, and whose lightest wish is a law. But 
his consideration for others, and his fear of causing trouble, are just as 
marked as when he stood on the Agawam, watching Mr. Fisher making 
ready to go North on a furlough. 

"I was packing my trunk," says the engineer in telling the story, 
"when Dewey came up with his hands in his pockets. He was always 
a reticent sort of fellow, even with his most intimate friends, and he 
hadn't talked long before I knew that he wanted to say something that 
he hated to, so I finally asked him why he didn't drive straight at the 
mark. I told him that I knew he was simply beating ai'ound the bush, 
and suggested that we had been good friends enough for him to speak 
right out and let me know exactly what he wanted. 

" 'Well, Fisher,' said he, 'you know I don't like to trouble anybody, 
but I do want you to do me a favor if you will when you get North.' 



173 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

" 'Now,' said I, 'what is it, old man?' 

" 'You see, Fisher,' said he, 'a fellow corked up here like a mouse 
in a trap hasn't much use for money and I have saved a little. It has 
been rattling around in my trunk for several months doing nobody any 
good, and I want to get it to my father; he might invest it for me, and 
when I need it, it may amount to something. I thought that it might not 
be too much trouble for you to take it to the old gentleman while you 
are up in his neighborhood. I'd mail it, but you know that under the 
present circumstances it would prob'ably never reach him.' 

" 'Probably not,' I answered; 'and if I can get it to him I shall be very 
glad to do so.' 

"Dewey pulled a roll of money out of his pocket and counted it. 
'There's four hundred dollars, even,' said he; 'it isn't much, but it will 
come in handy if a fellow is ever laid uj).' 

"He handed me the money, and I tucked it away in an inside pocket 
of my coat, along with some money of my own. The next day I started 
for home. On the way our train was held up by a band of guerrillas. I 
tried to escape, but one of the thieves caught me by the coat tails. The 
coat that he had hold of was a trifle loose for me, and I slipped out of it, 
leaving it in the hands of the guerrilla, jumped for the bushes and made 
my escape. The fellow sent a bullet after me, but he was probably too 
astonished to take good aim. When I reached a point where I felt that 
I was safe, I sat down and thought the situation over. It occurred to me 
for the first time, then, that Dewey's money had gone with the coat. I re- 
gretted it, of course, but I didn't feel like going back and making an 
effort to get it. My own money went along with it. The money was 
never invested for Dewey, but I guess he has managed to get along 
pretty well without." 

While Dewey was attached to the North Atlantic squadron, the 
famous attack on Fort Fisher took place. This fort was in North Caro- 
lina at the entrance of Cape Fear Kiver, and it was from here that the 
principal operations of the blockade runners were carried on. They 
were so successful in getting clothing, food and arms to the Southern 
army, that the Navy Department realized that unless these supplies 
were cut off, the war would be greatly prolonged. Accordingly an at- 
tack was planned by land and sea. In December, 1865, the largest fleet 
that had evvv sailed under the Union flag gathered twenty-five miles 
away from Fort Fisher. The story of the fight is full of picture and in- 
cident. The first assault was a negative victory, owing to the lack of 
co-operation of the land forces, but about two weeks later the fort fell 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 173 

before the combined forces of the army and navy. The battle began at 
nine in the morning and waxed hotter and more furious as the day went 
on. The vessels, each anchored in its respective pU^ce, poured forth 
deadly volleys, and on shore, the Union soldiers pushed the Confederates 
back and back, from traverse to traverse, till they broke ranks and 
fled in panic. 

When the result of the battle was summed up, it Vt^as found that 
seven hundred men had been killed and wounded, and eighteen hun- 
dred taken prisoners. ^loreover, the Confederates had lost one of their 
safest and securest strongholds and the end of the war was in sight. 

Dewey, who was then on the ship Colorado, came out of the battle 
with another honor to his credit. Towards the end of the fight, he sug- 
gested a certain manoeuver which Commodore Thatcher carried out. 
Afterwards, Admiral Porter congratulated Commodore Thatcher on 
its success, but with a cordial ring in his voice, that must have been as 
gratifying to his lieutenant as his words, he disclaimed any credit for 
the manoeuver, and said: 

"You must thank Lieutenant Dewey, sir." 

Immediately after the battle of Fort Fisher, Commodore Thatcher 
was made acting rear-admiral, and a few weeks later was ordered to 
Mobile Bay to relieve Farragut. He rated his former lieutenant at his 
true worth and recommended him for his fleet captaincy, but the 
department did not see fit to follow his suggestion and appoint Devi'ey. 

However, the reward of his ability and bravery was not long in 
coming. For on the third of March, 1865, he was made lieutenant-com- 
mander. War brings about rapid changes and quick promotions. If a 
man is made of heroic stuff, he has an immediate opportunity of show- 
ing his worth, without passing through the tedious processes necessaiy 
to times of peace. Thus Dewey, only eleven years after he had entered 
the Naval Academy, attained a rank which under ordinary circum- 
stances would have required a service of thirty years. 

Dewey's association with Farragut, Porter, Thatcher, Smith and 
many other naval heroes of that day, was invaluable to him in the tasks 
that fell to him in later years. His conduct throughout the war won 
him an enviable reputation, and he stood high in the estimation of his 
superior officers. In the period between the wars, many desirable 
assignment.s fell to his share. 

Immediately after peace was declared he served for two years in the 
Euro])ean station as lieutenant-commander. He was first assigned to 
duty on the famous old Kearsarge, whose overwhelming victory over 

12 



174 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

the Confederate sloop-of-war Alabama at Cherbourg, was still fresh in 
the annals of the navy. 

The old ship, which now lies rotting away on Roncador Reef in the 
tropics, where Commander Oscar F. Hayerman put her, through a mis- 
take of a new navigating oflScer, was very near to Dewey's heart. The 
new Kearsarge will take the place of the old so far as may be, but it has 
no associations yet. In Manila, not many months ago, Dewey met an old 
friend. 

"Bob," he said, "do you remember when we were in the old Kear- 
sarge together? I loved that ship, Bob, better than I ever loved a thing 
that couldn't talk. But I shouldn't say the old tub couldn't talk. Even 
now I can recall the pleadings and chatter of her bulkheads when we 
used to drive to windward against a beam sea. How she used to put her 
nose into it! 

"Away up to the cat heads, the mighty combers used to come, her 
heaving cutwater hurling fathoms of foam to either side and her rigging 
as taut as harpstrings. I shall never forget the old hulk and I am par- 
ticularly anxious to see the new one." 

From the Kearsarge, Dewey was transferred to the steam frigate, 
Colorado, the flagship of the European squadron. 

He was called by those who cruised under him one of the kindest 
oflScers to the men forward who ever commanded a ship. He was tender- 
hearted and tolerant, reluctant to punish the harmless little sins which 
a sailor falls into. But he never allowed his natural compassion to in- 
terfere with his duty. Absolute discipline prevailed aboard, and serious 
offenders found him implacable. 

With lying and deceit he had no patience, and his sailors soon dis- 
covered that it was much wiser to own up to a fault frankly, for, though 
they would be sentenced to punishment according to regulations, the 
chances were good that they would be released from the brig before 
their time was half out. 

Drunkenness was a vice he could not abide, and he would not have a 
drunkard about him. The story is told, tJiat on one cruise, a petty officer 
went ashore and returned very far from sober. The next morning he 
was brought before Dewey at the mast, and began a trumped-up story 
about being ill. Dewey stopped him abruptly. 

"You are lying," he said shortly. "You were very drunk. I heard 
you myself. I will not have my men lie to me. I don't ask them not to 
drink, but I do expect them to tell me the truth. If you had told me 
frankly you had taken a drop too much on liberty, you would have been 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 175 

forward by this time, for you returned to the ship. But for lying you 
get ten days in irons. Let me have the truth hereafter. I am told you 
are a good seaman. A good seaman has no business telling lies." 

Dewey felt so strongly on the subject of drunkenness, that he ex- 
claimed once: 

"You can never tell what harm a drunken man will do. I would 
much rather be compelled to be shipmate with a lunatic. Him I could 
restrain, but not the drunkard. If I had my way, no officer in either 
army or navy who had been court-martialed and dismissed the service 
for drunkenness should ever be restored to the active list unless his 
reformation was absolutely sure." 

There is another story told of Dewey which illustrates the maxim 
of tables turned very well. As a boy he was particularly fond of prac- 
tical jokes and never lost an opportunity to play one. Biit on one 
voyage he met his match in one of his own sailore. 

On this cruise, one of the men had delirium tremens. It was an ex- 
cellent object lesson, and Dewey used it upon his men with good effect. 
Once or twice when the sailors had shore leave, Dewey admonished 
them not to bring any snakes on board when they returned. One day, 
while the ship was in an East Indian port, a sailor came crawling up the 
side, seemingly much the worse for liquor. Dewey looked him over for 
a moment. 

'•So you've brought some snakes back with you?" he said severely. 

The man saluted with all due respect, and replied : "Yes, sir, here it 
is." Putting his hand in his shirt he drew out a squirming rock python 
which he had secured from a native who had caught it ashore. 

Dewey realized that he had been caught and dismissed the man with 
a secret smile. He made no more allusions to snakes on that ciniise. 

His sense of humor is one of the most delightful things about his 
charming personality, and an incident comes from his time of service 
in the Mississippi, showing that be could appreciate a joke then as well 
as he can now. The ship's cook was an old darky morbidly afraid of 
sharks. The ship was lying in Mobile Ray at the time, and he and 
Dewey had many arguments on the subject, in which the future Admiral 
maintained that sharks could not be induced to bite a human being. 

One day he was sent ashore in the ship's dingey for some unimport- 
ant errand. He had on, as usual, a frock coat, with very long tails, sucli 
as all naval officers wore in those days. In obedience to orders, he hur- 
ried back, the sloop being on. the point of getting under weigh, and, as he 
sat in the stern of the skiff, his coat tails trailed in the water. Just as 



no SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

the dingey was on the point of reaching the vessel a shark rose to the 
surface — perhaps attracted by the gilt buttons on the coat tails afore- 
said — and bit off the starboard side of the lieutenant's afte^ uniform. 
Dewey jumped to his feet, and, well satisfied under the circumstances 
to relinquish his coat tails, ran \\\> the side of the ship. The ''Doctor," 
who had viewed the proceedings from the rail of the vessel, approached 
him presently with a grin of the utmost width. 

"Ah, ha!" he said, taking advantage of the familiarity customarily 
allowed him on board. "Perhaps, Massa Dewey, yo' b'lieve now dat 
sharks won't bite a pusson. Whar' you' coat tail, eh?" 

"My coat tail," replied the lieutenant, with his habitual sangfroid, 
"has been removed by an act of Providence." 

Profanity involving the name of the Deity is as obnoxious to Dewey 
as drunkenness. A certain amount of vigorously exclamatory language 
seems to be necessary to get any body of men through a voyage or a 
battle, and the Admiral is not exempt from the practice, but he never 
allows it to go beyond a certain point, nor will he tolerate blasphemy 
from any one with whom he is associated. 

Many years ago, when the task was very difficult, he stood by his 
convictions in rather a remarkable manner. He happened to be serving 
as watch officer under an Admiral, who was as famous for his rough 
language as for his bulldog courage. 

He was what is called a "jacky officer," which signifies that his man- 
ners were fitted rather for the forecastle than the quarter-deck. One 
day something roused his wrath and, as his custom was, he swore at 
everything and evei-ybody in sight. Dewey happened to be in range, 
and after standing the tirade for a few moments, he walked up to the 
furious commander of the fleet, and saluting, said: 

"Admiral, I will not allow you nor any man living to address me in 
the language you are using." 

The captain of the flagship and almost all of his officers were near 
enough to hear the conversation, and a breathless silence followed the 
words of the bold young officer. The old Admiral turned red and then 
purple. lie was perfectly quiet for several minutes. In the meantime, 
Dewey had left the group to attend to his duty. 

"Tell Mr. Dewey I wish to speak to him," said the Admiral to an 
ensign. 

"Dewey's going to catch it now," whispered the officers. 

Lieutenant Dewey came in a moment. 

"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, saluting. 



. ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 177 

"Yes, I did, sir," answered the Admiral. "I wanted to say to 3'ou 
that I was not addressing you in my remarlcs a few minutes ago. That 
is all, sir." 

The Admiral resumed his promenade and the incident was closed. 
But it was noticed during the rest of their service together that the 
Admiral treated his lieutenant with unusual courtesy and consideration. 

The men under Dewey were fond of him, and no one had more loyal 
crews. Charles E. Uand, who served with Dewey during the Civil war, 
gives an example of the bravery and self-control under trying circum- 
stances that made his sailors trust him implicitly. 

''I remember," he says, "when I was with Admiral Dewey on the 
flagship Colorado; he was then lieutenant-commander and executive 
officer. Once during a terrific gale, we were off the Bay of Biscay, often- 
times a nasty place, too, and the command was given to save the ship. 
The" Old Colorado could not move faster than eight knots an hour, and 
we were on a lee shore. I tell you, it looked bad for us. 

"At the height of the storm the Admiral took the bridge, relieving 
Dewey, and the order was given to set sails to help us out to sea. We 
fellows had to hustle into the riggings, and just to encourage us Dewej"- 
himself mounted the ladder, and in less time than I can tell it was on 
the yard unfurling sail. It was an exciting scene and a dangerous sit- 
uation, but in a short time we were clear of the coast, and safe from 
wreck on one of the rockiest shores I know of." 

DEWEY ON SnOKE.— HIS FIRST MARRIAGE. 

Early in 1867, Lieutenant-Commander Dewey was ordered home from 
the European station and assigned to duty at the Kittery Navy Yard at 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There he had the entree to the homes of 
all the most exclusive families of the place, and enjoyed society as 
only a handsome, popular young officer of thirty could enjoy it. During 
this time he met Miss Susie Goodwin, who afterwards became his wife. 
He did not win her, however, without opposition. For there was an- 
other gallant naval officer also paying court to her, — Commander S. C. 
Rhind. He was nearly twenty years older than Dewey and he had a 
rare record of brave deeds to his credit. 

But fortune was with the younger man and Commander Rhind 
struck his colors before Dewey and sailed away. 

Governor Goodwin, the father of Miss Susie, had a great admiration 
for his new son. He was himself a popular hero of the time and to this 



178 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

day is known as "Fighting Governor Goodwin." He found a responsive 
chord in the young lieutenant and made a prediction of him which the 
future was to verify. 

"George is sort of reckless sometimes," the Governor remarked, "but 
hang me if I can help liking him. He's honest and full of grit, and he'll 
be heard from one of these days." 

Dewey was married in 18G7, and soon after was detailed for service at 
the Annapolis Naval Academy as an instructor. Two years afterwards, 
he was placed in command of the Narragansett, and in 1872, was pro- 
moted to the rank of commander. 

It seemed as if great happiness were opening up to him with these 
new honors. Everything was prosperous in his material affairs, and 
his home life was ideal. On the twenty-third of December, a little son 
was born. But just a week later, the great sorrow of Dewey's life came 
to him in the death of his young wife. The son, George Goodwin Dewey, 
grew to vigorous manhood, was graduated from Princeton College, in 
1898, and since that time has been in business in New York City. 

Soon after the death of his wife, Dewey sailed as commander of the 
Narragansett for the Pacific coast, where he was engaged in making 
surveys. In 1870 he was called to Washington to act as a lighthouse 
inspector for two years, and as the secretary of the lighthouse board for 
four years afterwards. 

Dewey's first experience in Asiatic waters came in 1882, when he 
was assigned to the Juniata. He spent two years there, and subsequent 
events have proved that he put in his time to the very best advantage 
in making a close stiidy of the people and in learning all there was to 
know about the different ports. 

It was during his command of the Juniata that Dewey became so ill 
as to be compelled to stop at Malta and submit to a very delicate sur- 
gical operation by which part of his liver was removed. His life hung 
on a thread, but it was saved by the incessant care and watchfulness of 
his physicians and nurses. He has often been known since as the man 
without a liver. 

When he went back on his ship again, one of his men exclaimed in 
a burst of admiration: 

"Was there ever a more courageous, able seaman?" 

And another answered: 

"There's one thing sure about what liver Dewey has, — it's not white." 

In 1884 Dewey was made captain, and was put in charge of the Dol- 
phin, one of the four new vessels which formed the original "White 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 179 

Squadron." Soon afterwards, he paid a visit to his old home in Mont- 
pelier. The citizens of the town gave him a cordial welcome, but the 
children stood in awe of him and were a little afraid of his keen eye and 
bushy eyebrows and his big moustache. 

"That did not please Dewey,"' says one writer, for he loves children. 
"So he took the trouble to win the children of Montpelier to him. He 
gathered the boys and girls in the afternoon from the capitol grounds 
across the way, into the grounds around his home; he took them driving, 
he told them stories about sailor men, until the little girls were almost 
frightened and all the boys were determined to be captains in the United 
states navy. He had one fine story about the voyage of Noah's Ark that 
Montpelier boys who are now men remember." 

Dewey did not rest until the victory was complete and he had won 
the hearts of every child in Montpelier. 

In 1SS5, he was given command of the Peusacola, the flagship of the 
European squadron. He remained in that station for three years, gain- 
ing the familiarity with European naval conditions, oi33cers and fleets 
which only a shrewd, open-eyed, alert man could get. 

One story told of him during his command of that vessel is worth 
repeating to show his intolerance of unjust interference. Some of his 
sailors went on shore while the boat was stopping at Malta and were 
mixed up some way in a street fight. Though the alarm was given, they 
managed to escape to the ship. 

"The next morning," says Mr. Clemens, who tells the story, "the 
captain of the port came out to the Pensacola to complain to Captain 
Dewey of the action of the sailors. 

" 'What can I do?' asked Dewey. 

" 'Why, your men raised a riot on shore, and you can assist me in 
arresting and punishing them,' was the reply. 

"The American captain was very courteous in the expression of re- 
gret that sailors of the Pensacola should be lawless while on shore 
leave, but could see no way in which he might assist his visitor in search- 
ing out the guilty ones. 

"The reply of the naval officer angered the redcoat, who said, some- 
what peremptorily: 'You certainly can parade your crew before me in 
order that the rioters may be identified.' 

"Looking aloft and pointing to the Stars and Stripes waving at the 
masthead, Dewey made the reply: 'The deck of this vessel is United 
States territory, and I'll parade my men for no foreigner that ever drew 
breath.' " 



180 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

No one knows better than the Admiral how to handle sarcasm when 
it is necessary, but it is usually sarcasm with a twinkle in it, and the men 
who were on the Pensacola with bim will never forget the effective- 
ness of one of his rebukes. The ship was in the Mediterranean at the 
time of this incident, and a rapid fall in the barometer, and a shift of 
wind gave warning of a change in the weather. Very soon a white 
squall came up, and every man had his hands full. The executive 
officer was in the waist, the officer of the deck on the quai'+er-deck, and 
the midshipman in the forecastle bellowing and repeating orders, and 
the sailors were jumping through the tops like squirrels. Just then 
something fouled the clews of the maintopsail, at the very moment the 
squall struck, and bungling for a moment or two nearly cost the vessel 
a spar. Dewey, from the bridge, was looking on, and everybody was in 
tremulous anticipation of a severe rebuke. But he only turned to the 
officer of the deck and said mildly: 

''Will you kindly tell me what was the matter just now with the 
agricultural population on the maintopsail yard?" 

The men wilted when the remark came to their ears, and it is said 
that they did not recover from it for days. 

Another bon mot of Dewey's which has become famous through the 
length and breadth of the country was his reply to one of the bureau 
chiefs. The canny Admiral while at Manila accumulated a great pile of 
coal at Cavite. He received a cablegram from this bureau chief one day 
saying: 

"What have you bought such an enormous quantity of coal for?" 

And Dewey cabled back : 

"To burn." 

APPOINTMEKTS IN WASHINGTON. 

In 1888, Dewey gave up seafaring life for awhile to become chief of 
the bureau of equipment and recruiting. This appointment followed in 
the natural order of things, for early in his career, his unusual admin- 
istrative ability, and his clear understanding of naval matters in detail 
and in their general bearing impressed the minds of those with whom he 
came in contact. 

Although this position carried with it the rank of commodore, Cap- 
tain Dewey was not formally appointed commodore until February 28, 
1896. In this important position, he won new honors for himself. 
Whatever he undertook, he did thoroughly, promptly and effectively. 
His uniform kindliness and courtesy also to those with whom he came 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 181 

in contact, made him as much appreciated for his own personality as for 
the excellent quality of work he did. Socially, also, he was always an 
addition to the charmiug circles that claimed him as a friend. His 
keen sense of humor and his witty stories made him a companion much 
to be desired. 

One of the tales he used to tell, which through his love of animals 
appealed to him particularly, was of a certain captain and his pet par- 
rot. Dewey was a young lieutenant on the captain's ship at the time, 
and when it put in at Rio de Janeiro the commander became so greatly 
worried about the health of his remarkable bird that he asked the ship's 
doctor to prescribe. He said that all the bird needed was a chance to 
climb into the green trees on shore, chew bark, and disport itself. So 
the captain summoned his steward and bade him take the parrot ashore 
and give it some exercise. The captain's steward was an important per- 
son then. This one was a conceited old darky, who aped absurdly the 
authoritative ways of his master, and the men were always on the look- 
out for a chance to play him some trick. When he stepped to the port 
gangway to get into the liberty boat, with the cage containing the bird 
enclosed in an old ammunition bag, they saw their opportunity. There 
was a sea running in the harbor, which made it difficult for the boat to 
keep alongside, and, just as the steward put out a foot toward the gun- 
wale, they purposely eased her oft, so that he tumbled into the sea. He 
was pulled out in a minute, but the ijarrot and the cage went to the 
bottom. 

The steward was distressed. He dreaded punishment by the cap- 
tain, who had said that he would hold him responsible for the safety of 
the bird. Having shore-leave for three days, he spent his time wander- 
ing about the city and figuring to himself how he would put in the 
balance of the voyage in the ship's brig, on bread and water, double- 
ironed, and exposed to the derision of the crew. At length he was struck 
with a brilliant idea. Rio was full of parrots, and one parrot is much 
like another, especially green ones. He bought, for the equivalent of 
seventy-five cents, a green bird with a yellow head which looked to him 
like the twin brother of the one drowned. He was also luckv enough to 
find a cage like the lost one, and in it he took his precious purchase back 
to the frigate. 

Now, as Dewey tells the story, the captain was delighted to see his 
pet once more, and especially to see how much its plumage was improved 
and how much more sprightly it had become. But his astonishment may 
be imagined when, being asked whether it would like a cracker, the 



182 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

bird responded with a string of Portuguese oaths. Being fed, it ex- 
pressed its satisfaction with a lot of swear words in Spanish, and this so 
amazed the commander that he felt obliged to share his feelings with 
somebody. Dewey, who bad been walking the quarter-deck, was sum- 
moned to the cabin, and the parrot was persuaded to swear some more 
for his benefit. 

''Mr. Dewey," said the captain excitedly, "that is a most remarkable 
bird. He has been ashore only three days, and in that time, upon my 
sacred honor, he has picked up a thorough working knowledge of the 
Spanish and Portuguese languages." 

Another story of a later date, told by Dewey in Manila, was consid- 
ered worthy of good attention by the man who listened. Admiral von 
Diedrichs and the British captain of the cruiser Immortalite, one day 
had a conversation in which the former asked what attitude the latter 
would assume in case of trouble between the Americans and Germans, 
whereupon Chichester replied that Dewey was the best bureau of in- 
formation on that subject. Very soon afterwards, Dewey was dining 
with Chichester and they began matching stories. The host spoke with 
much admiration of the confidence of victory exhibited by the Yankee 
sailors. The Admii'al, with the humorous light in his eyes that his 
friends linow so well, replied that it was possible to have too much 
confidence in his ability to win a fight. The Englishman was doubtful, 
so Dewey to point his remark told the following anecdote: 

"An old friend of my grandfather's, up in Vermont, lent some help to 
his country's cause in the war of 1S12 by fitting out a fine privateer. He 
took command of her himself, having had some experience in sailoring, 
and called her the New Jeru.salem. She was a smart little barkentiue, 
and mounted six 12-pounders and a 16-pound pivot gun forward. In 
the course of the first voyage she took two or three prizes of no great 
value, and two months or so elapsed before she got a whack at some- 
thing really worth capturing. 

"It was in a foggy morning, in the region of the tropics, the wind hav- 
ing died down to a mere catspaw, that she sighted the royals and gallant 
stuns'ls of a huge merchantman carrying the British flag. It was a .spec- 
tacle to make any piratical person's mouth water. The privateer, being 
to windward, crept up to the prey, herself unobserved in the mist, and 
presently hove to within half a cable's lent'th of her. 

" 'Heave to, or I'll sink you,' yelled my grandfather's friend, thinking 
gloatingly of the silks and laces, with who knows what other spoil, he 
was going to take back to Vermont. 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 183 

"There was no reply, and just then a puff of wind blew away some of 
the fog, revealing, instead of a merchantman, a full-fledged line-of-battle 
ship with rows of frowning ports. 

" 'I was about to say,' shouted the commander of the privateer, 'that 
while inviting you to surrender, in case you don't want to do so, I will.' 

"And he did," said Dewey. "Which will serve to illustrate my mean- 
ing when I say that too much confidence in warfare is not always a good 
thing. Your very good health, Chichester." 

After four years' service as chief of the Bureau of Equipment, Dewey 
again became a member of the Lighthouse Board. In 1896, about the 
time that he received his commission as commodore, he was made 
president of the Board of Inspection. This position he retained until he 
was placed in command of the Asiatic station in January, 1898. 

Since Dewey became famous, many interesting sidelights have been 
thrown upon him, and his Washington experience particularly has fur- 
nished much material to those who find every detail about their hero 
worth hearing. He was one of the men who has proved that fastidious- 
ness in dress, bravery and hard work, combined in a single person are 
not at all impossible. For during his Washington experience, he had 
the rei^utation of being the best dressed man in the service. 

"He carried out the demands of his nature and training, for trimness 
and accuracy," says one writer, "to the very verge of the Beau Brum- 
melistic in dress. If a drumhead court-martial had been a Washington 
penalty for being caught in afternoon costume after 6 P. M., he could 
not have been more punctual in donning evening costume. It was said 
of him that the creases of his trousers were ever as well defined as his 
views on naval warfare." 

But his punctilious observance of the etiquette of dress made him 
none the less brave or efficient as sailor and officer, and when the time 
arrived to place someone in charge of the Asiatic squadron, it was 
Dewey who came to the fore. 

Theodore Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary, had put his indomitable 
energy and thoroughness into the affairs of the naval department. He 
had much to do with the appointment of men to important stations, and 
when the naval council was looking about for a man to take command 
of the Asiatic squadron, Roosevelt named George Dewey. 

"Dewey!" exclaimed one of the board who knew the sailor well. 
"Dewey is a dude." 

"What of it?" asked Roosevelt. 



184 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

"Why, you are the last man I should expect to want to advance a 
dude." 

Roosevelt's reply is one that will go down among the traditions of 
the war: 

"I didn't want to advance him," said Roosevelt. "I'll leave that to 
you afterward. All I want is a man over there. Some fellow who will 
fight and mate war. I don't care what kind of a collar he wears; that 
is, so long as it is some kind of a linen collar." 

But Dewey did not want the appointment. He wanted the command 
of the European station where Selfridge was due to be detached early 
in the new year. Commodore Howell wished it also and to him it was 
given. By such a small chance, the opportunity of Dewey's lifetime was 
forced upon him, and he arranged his affairs to go to Hong Kong, where 
his duty lay, disappointed probably in the thought that the Spanish 
war, if it came, would be fought aud won while he was tucked away 
in the conrer of another world. But he made no protest. 

During his life in Washington he had won for himself many friends 
both in the department and in the social world of the Capital. As a 
token of the esteem in which he was held, a farewell dinner was given 
to him at the Metropolitan Club in Arlington. Colonel Archibald Hop- 
kins read the following verses, which had a ring of prophecy in them, 
which those who heard did not appreciate until afterwards: 

"Fill all your glasses full to-night; 

The wind is off the shore; 
And be it feast or be it fight. 

We pledge the Commodore. 

"Through days of storm, through days of calm. 

On broad Pacific seas; 
At anchor off the isles of Palm, 

Or with the Japanese; 

"Ashore, afloat, on deck, below, 

Or where our bulldogs roar; 
To back a friend or breast a foe 

We pledge the Commodore. 

"We know our honor'll be unstained 

Where'er his pennant flies; 
Our rights respe(;ted and maintained, 

Whatever power defies. 




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ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 185 

"And when he takes the homeward tack 

Beneath an admiral's flag, 
We'll hail the day and bring him back, 

And have another jag." 

Six months later. Colonel Hopkins added this postcript: 

"Along the far Philippine coast, 

Where flew the flag of Spain, 
Our Commodore to-day can boast 

'Twill never fly again. 

"And up from all our hills and vales. 

From city, town and shore, 
A mighty shout the welkin hails: 

'Well done, brave Commodore!' 

" 'Now, let your admiral's pennant fly; 

You've won it like a man 
Where heroes love to fight and die — 

Right in the battle's van.' '' 

BATTLE OF MANILA BAY. 

"I am going to fight the first battle of the war and I will fight it 
before breakfast." These were the words of Admiral Dewey to a friend 
who expressed regret that he was to leave the seat of the war. His 
words found their fulfillment on May 1st in Manila harbor. 

When war broke out Admiral Dewey was at Hong Kong, command- 
ing the Asiatic squadron. On April 24th he received the following dis- 
patch from the Navy Department at Washington: 

"War has been commenced between the Ignited States and Spain. 
Proceed at once to the Philippine Islands. Commence operations at 
once, particularly against Spanish fleet. You must capture vessels or 
destroy. Use utmost endeavors." 

Great Britain had. issued a proclamation of neutrality as soon as 
Spain and the United States had declared war, and, as Hong Kong was 
a British port, the governor of the colony asked Dewey to leave the har- 
bor. This he did, going to Mirs Bay, a Chinese port, thirty miles away. 
Here preparations were completed, and on April 27th the fleet sailed 
for Manila. The squadron was made up of Admiral Dewey's flagship, 
Olympia, Captain C. V. Gridley commanding; the Baltimore, under 
Captain N. M. Dyer; the Raleigh, under Captain J. B. Coghlan; the 



186 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Boston, under Captain Frank Wildes; the Concord, under Commander 
Asa Walker; the Petrel, under Commander E. P. Wood, and the dis- 
patch boat Hugh McCullough. 

On April 30th, when the shores of Luzon were sighted, the ships were 
cleared for action. An hour before midnight the fleet came to Manila 
Bay, and, headed by the Olympia, with the Baltimore, Kaleigh, Petrel, 
Concord and Boston, following in order, steamed through a channel 
that was commanded by batteries on Corregidor Island, and possibly 
laid with mines. 

Commodore Dewey had surprised the Spanish. Not until his flagship 
was a mile beyond the fortress guarding the channel was the entrance 
of the fleet discovered. Then the guns of El Fraile opened fire, but 
the Raleigh, Concord and Boston pounded it into silence. It was at 
this time that Engineer Randall of the McCullough was stricken by heat, 
or apoplexy, and died — the only loss of life during the attack. 

Daylight found Admiral Dewey facing Rear-Admiral Montojo's fleet, 
which lay under the protection of the guns of the fortress at Cavite. 
The fleet consisted of his flagship Reina Cristina, the Castilla, the Don 
Juan de Austria, the Don Antonio de Ulloa, the Isla de Cuba, the Isla 
de Luzon and three light gunboats. This squadron was much inferior 
to Admiral Dewey's, but it had the advantage of position, and the aid 
of shore batteries. 

As the American vessels steamed slowly past Manila city the forts 
opened fire but failed to stop the progress of the stately procession. 
The heat was intense. 

Men stood at their posts, stripped to the waist, depressing the guns 
to the range-finder's call, "4,000 yards,— .3,500,— 3,000," not firing though 
the guns of the Cavite forts and Montojo's ships began to get the range 
and plowed the water with their shells about the American vessels. All 
was silent on Admiral Dewey's fleet; the commanders waited for the 
signal from the flagship. At nineteen minutes to six Admiral Dewey 
is reported to have turned quietly to the commander of the Olympia and 
said: 

"You may fire when ready, Gridley." 

For two hours the line of American vessels passed back and forth 
before the Spanish squadron. The American marksmanship was as splen- 
did as that of the Spanish was execrable. With seventy guns firing at 
objects within easy range for two hours they did practically no damage. 
One shell exploded on the Baltimore, slightly wounding eight men. On 
the other hand, the fire from the American guns was simply withering. 



'ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 187 

Despite the awful bombardment, the Spaniards made a gallant fight. 
The Cristina's guns were fired until only two gunners remained un- 
hurt. Then, with more than half her crew dead or wounded, the ship 
blazing in several places and hopelessly disabled, Montojo moved his 
flag to the Isla de Cuba and continued to direct the battle from this 
little boat, while his men jumped overboard and saved themselves in 
whatever way they could. 

After passing five times by the Spanish line and practically silencing 
and wrecking it. Admiral Dewey, at twenty minutes to eight, ordered his 
ships to cease firing and withdraw. His men had been under a constant 
strain for twenty-four hours and had had no breakfast, except a cup of 
coffee. At a quarter past eleven the order again went up for "close 
action." In a short time the work was completed. The Manila and some 
smaller boats were captured, the rest of Montojo's fleet sunk or de- 
stroyed and with 3S1 killed and wounded, and the Cavite batteries 
silenced. 

Thus Spain, by one of the most complete defeats in naval warfare, 
had lost a fleet and an Asiatic archipelago, and the United States had 
practically acquired the responsibility for the government of a foreign 
country, the enlightenment of a half civilized peojile and the main- 
tenance of a wider place in the congress of nations. 

THE HOME-COMING OF DEWEY! 

When the Olympia sailed into New York harbor two days before 
time the people of the city were taken as completely by surprise as 
the Spaniards in Manila Bay. The news spread like wild fire and 
before Dewey's ship had been an hour in sight a whole army of paper 
boys, with their huge piles of extras, had earned the word to the far- 
thest parts of Harlem. What could be found of the Reception Com- 
mittee hastily gathered itself together to decide on a course of action. 
The workmen on the Dewey Arch looked at each other in dismay, 
and dilatory decorators brought out their flags and bunting with the 
promptitude of firemen when the clarion rings. The little boys who 
sold Dewey buttons, found their stock going like hot cakes and almost 
turned somersaults in their excitement. Never before had the staid 
old city found itself in such a state of activity and pleasant confu- 
sion. The welcome was intended to be a kind of mammoth surprise 
party for the great hero, but the guest had turned the tables. 

However, the Admiral felt that he was acting under the unwrit- 



188 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

ten orders of the public, and when the reception committee steamed 
out to tell him something of the preparations for his reception, he 
promptly decided that officially he had not arrived and that he would 
not for any consideration throw the plans of a million people into 
confusion by a premature appearance within the confines of the city. 

But the Olympia became for the time being the center of the uni- 
verse. With hundreds of boats flying about her, circling nearer and 
nearer from all directions the warship seemed like a huge magnet 
that drew irresistibly toward herself everything that could ride the 
water. From the earliest moment that visitors were allowed in the 
morning, until the warning bell sounded at night, her decks were 
thronged with humanity of every sort and condition. 

The most distinguished men of the country went out to greet Dewey 
during the days of his voluntary exile, (Jeneral Miles and members 
of the Washington committee, General Jlerritt and a host of others. 
Again and again the guns boomed forth a welcome. The other war- 
ships followed the lead; people shouted and cheered incessantly and 
there was a kind of joyful pandemonium all the time. 

Governor Roosevelt visited Dewey to welcome him in the name of 
the State of New York, and also to renew his warm personal rela- 
tions with him. His reception was a dramatic one. The visitors 
cheered, and as he and the Admiral pushed through the crowd toward 
the men of the Olympia, who had been gotten up to see the Governor, 
they gave vent to a tremendous ringing cheer, and some one cried 
"Speech, speech." The Governor took off his hat with the words: 

"There is just one thing I will say. As we were coming down the 
bay, at sight of the Olympia Capt. Coghlan said to me, 'There is the 
Olympia over there. Aren't you proud of her?' I want to say that 
I am not only proud of her, but I am proud of every man on her, 
from the Admiral down, and nothing could give me so much pleas- 
ure as to welcome home so brave a body of men. Since the Admiral 
and I met lust he has grown up alongside of Nelson and Farragut." 

Then the crew gave another cheer, which in volume and heartiness 
even exceeded the first. 

The Admiral took the Governor and his party below to his roona, 
and then said, speaking to the five Captains of the warships that 
fought at Manila, who were with Governor Roosevelt: "The last time 
we all met was on the thirteenth of April, 1898, the night before the 
scrimmage, wasn't it? And now I want to propose the health of the 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 189 

man who had more to do toward making me an Admiral than any 
other man in the United States, Governor Roosevelt!" 

No other visitor had such honoi's at the hands of the Admiral as 
the Governor. He was the only one for whom all hands on the flag 
ship were mustered, that he might see the whole ship's company. At 
his departure, too, seventeen guns were fired, as many as the Admiral 
himself is entitled to receive. 

By his consideration of the humblest as well as the highest of his 
guests Dewey endeared himself to all who came in contact with him 
and made the whole nation feel as if it were saying "Welcome,'' to 
a personal friend. 

One of the most touching things that happened during Dewey's 
stay in New York harbor was the presentation of Admiral Farragut's 
flag to him by Commander George W. Baird, into whose possession 
the flag had come. Commander Baird was an old shipmate of Dewey's. 
The Admiral was taken by surprise and when he learned that the 
flag was to be given to him, he was too much overcome to say a word. 
As the Commander handed him the flag he said: 

"Admiral, I wish to present to you the first Admiral's flag ever 
floated out in the Navy of this country. That grand old Admiral, 
whose name and memory we all so revere, first hoisted this ensign 
upon the good ship Hartford before New Orleans and afterward upon 
the Franklin, and since it came down from that masthead it has 
never been whipped by the wind nor worn by the elements. And you, 
the worthy successor of that great Admiral, whose tactics you so suc- 
cessfully followed a short while ago, I deem the proper person for Far- 
ragut's mantle to fall upon." 

Admiral Dewey did not speak for a moment. Then he said, his 
voice trembling: 

"This is the last flag I'll fly. It was the first Admiral's flag, and 
I feel the honor that it brings to me." 

The tears were still in his eyes as he turned to the committee with 
Commander Baird and said: 

"You do me too great an honor by bringing me this beautiful flag." 

Under this flag, the next day, the hero of Manila received one of 
the greatest ovations ever given by the people of the United States 
to a single man. By ten o'clock the harbor was filled from shore to 
shore with boats crowded to their utmost capacity. A whole cityful 
seemed to be afloat, and yet on land were a million people watching 
the magnificent display. At one o'clock the stately Olympia led the 

13 



190 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

way up the river, the snowy warships following. Behind were a thou- 
sand craft in line. 

'The North River," says one spectator who watched the scene from 
the flagship, "was the stage of a theater ten miles long. The huge 
buildings in the lower part of the city and in Jersey City, the higher 
grounds further up and finally the Palisades themselves became the 
sides of this theater, and from the stage every seat seemed to be taken. 
To say that a million people lined the shores is in all probability an 
underestimate. They were not to be counted, but everywhere, from 
the Battery to One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street on the New York 
side, it looked as if every foot of si)ace in view of the river had a human 
occupant from the other side, from Staten Island itself to Fort Lee 
and beyond was almost the same. Up the center of this stage Admiral 
Dewey and the Olympia sailed, the air rent with the squalls and the 
roars of a thousand whistles. It was noise, noise, noise everywhere, 
until one was driven almost mad. The shrieking of the multitude of 
whistles was punctuated by the booming of cannon, the thunder of 
exploding bombs and the cheers of the multitude afloat." 

As the Olympia reached the stake-boat the scene was one never- 
to-be-forgotten. Beyond the kaleidoscopic, shifting mass of boats the 
river lay serene and blue. To the right the high columns of Grant's 
tomb caught the sunlight, and as the Olympia rounded it she saluted 
for another great fighter, lying silent at the top of the height. From 
the river bed the hill looked like a mountain spotted here and there 
with color, as if it had suddenly blossomed with strange flowers. Indi- 
viduals looked no larger than bees, and they covered the hill tier after 
tier until it seemed an unbroken mass of humanity. At the salute 
the whole hillside seemed to become alive. There was a rush of move- 
ment over it. Flags waved and the multitude sent forth a mighty 
cheer, which rose for a moment above the din of the guns. 

Each warship in turn saluted General Grant as it began its return 
journey. Then one after another they steamed slowly past the Olym- 
pia, which had anchored below, and the other boats in the endless proces- 
sion followed. For two hours and a half the Admiral reviewed them, 
until the last of the varied collection of water craft had gone on its 
way. There was everything in the procession, from the most grace- 
ful modern yacht to the old hulk that could scarcely hold water. 
But it was an American day. The principle of equality was ever 
uppermost, and the day laborer was just as free to look upon the face 
of his hero as the millionaire. 



'ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 191 

The sun had gone down before the Admiral left the bridge, and 
the most momentous day of his life ended with a salute to the flag, 
which, through him, had sot its authority over the uttermost parts of 
the sea. Every man on shipboard stood at attention facing the en- 
sign and the band played the Star Spangled Banner. Not a soul stiiTod 
until the last note was struck. Then the ensign came down and every 
one, raising his right hand to his forehead, saluted with a bow. And 
the man who at that moment commanded more attention than any 
other man in the world, stood there, and as simply as the rest owned 
his allegiance to his country's flag. 

The naval parade on Friday was wonderful enough to set It apart 
from all other welcomes, but the reception given to the Admiral on 
land the next day eclipsed even that. The people had seen him from 
afar on the bridge of his ship, like a figure on a pedestal, the very 
ideal of a hero, and their enthusiasm then rose to a high pitch. But 
when he came down among them, a man Avith his countrymen, the 
demonstration was something so extraordinary and unique that the 
city has never known its equal before. 

The first ceremony of the day was the presentation of the gold lov- 
ing cup by the Mayor in behalf of the city. It was at the hour when 
most people are leisurely sipping their last cup of coffee, and looking 
over the morning paper. But it was not too early for the admirers 
of Dewey. When he drove up to the stand erected for the occasion 
he looked down upon a mass of seething, jostling, cheering humanity 
that strained and stretched for a sight of him. The illimitable vista 
of people almost took one's breath away, as does the immensity of the 
ocean. But it was a miniature, as it were, of the experience that re- 
peated itself for Dewey through every hour of that memorable day. 

From the City Hall the Admiral was escorted up the river to Grant's 
tomb, and near it the great procession fell into place. Everywhere 
along the line of march were people, people, people, bounded by walls, 
whose windows opened for yet more people, and whose roofs wei'e 
fringed with faces; wherever there was space were flags and bunting, 
which rose like a background behind the mighty crowds. From One 
Hundred and Twenty-fifth street to the reviewing stand at Twenty-third 
street, there was an unbroken series of decorations, until it seemed 
as if New York had borrowed all the national colors in the United 
States to honor the Admiral. 

The spectacle made one feel as if history had turned back nine- 
teen centuries to the time of Emperors and Boman triumphs. But 



192 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

there were no gaudy chariots, no captives at the wheels, only a mod- 
est man, bowing and smiling and saluting in the foremost carriage, 
over whom the crowds went almost delirious with enthusiasm. 

Along the seven miles of the course were packed three million 
people, shoulder to shoulder, and in the middle, as if some mighty 
hand had parted the crowd as the Israelites did the Red Sea, was a 
clear space where the procession passed through. The cheers that 
greeted it were beyond description. They were like a mighty burst 
of composite thunders that rose and ebbed, and rose again in a joy- 
ful crash, which echoed and reverberated as Dewey rode through the 
human lane until he took his seat on the reviewing stand on Twenty- 
third street, behind the twenty thousand roses, constructing it into a 
victor's throne, under the wonderful white triumphal arch, which 
threw its shadow protectingly over the Admiral. 

For hours he stood there watching and saluting, as soldiers and 
generals and governors and statesmen did him homage, and then passed 
on through the Admiral's gateway. 

Nearly every State in the Union had sent her troops, some with 
flags rent into ribbons in Cuba or Manila. 

The grand old veterans of the Civil War were there, too. All the 
flower of the American soldiery marched by the Admiral that day, 
and shared in his ovation under sunny blue skies, while bands played 
stirring music and the crowds cheered and cheered, and the sound of 
the tramp, tramp, tramp sang itself into the American brain with a 
new rhythm. For the man in his Admiral's uniform reviewing the 
troops had had a hand in the destiny of nations. By force of arms 
he had blazed out new territory for the United States, and in that 
steady march of feet was the old fone and power of the army with 
all the new possibilities that victory brings. It was this unconscious 
recognition of the mighty strength of the nation that made every loyal 
American's heart beat a little faster, when flag after flag was carried 
by and the Admiral swept off his hat and bowed before it. 

When the last of the thirty-five thousand men in the procession 
had gone bej-ond the arch, the city breathed a sigh of satisfaction. 
Dewey Day was over and the welcome to the hero had even surpassed 
the most extravagant dreams. 

For weeks the thought of it had been foremost with innumerable 
people. Busy men had lent their time, statesmen their services, and 
artists their genius. But the climax and the fulfilment had repaid 
them for every care. Before the multitude dispersed at Twenty-third 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 193 

street it was dusk, and a flashlight played upon the arch brought out 
its decorations with a kind of unearthly beauty. It seemed again as 
if the ghosts of conquerors in the world's history must be making 
an invisible obeisance to the Admiral, who, in the annals of time will 
find his name beside theirs. 

Even the most unimaginative, however, could but feel that the day 
was the culmination of great events, of which they had just witnessed 
the climax. Dewey's achievement stands single and alone, without a 
counterpart. 

But the reception given him by the people of New York was perhaps 
as significant in its way, not only because of the splendid pageant 
which greeted him. The Dewey Arch, too, was a remarkable con- 
ception, a signal honor, not paid to an American before. Cut in mar- 
ble, near Grant's tomb, it will stand as a perpetual reminder of the vic- 
tory and the victor, linking in the minds of those who see the old 
war and the new war together. 

But, after all, the Dewey Arch was not the greatest factor in that 
day. It was the fact that on American soil three million people, for- 
getting race and nationality, birth and circumstance, joined as if with 
one voice in a mighty cheer of welcome for an American hero. In union 
there is strength and in such union of many elements in one harmon- 
ious whole is the foundation on which will rest the glory and pros- 
perity of the United States, wherever the Stars and Stripes shall lead 
her. 

On the third day of October, 1898, the magnificent sword awarded 
by the act of Congress was presented to Admiral Dewey in Washington 
in the presence of the President, the members of his cabinet and the 
judiciary, the highest officers of the army and navy, and a vast crowd 
of the plain people. From a beautifully flag decorated stand in front of 
the shining Capitol the ceremonies took place, and were opened with 
prayer by the Kev. Frank Bristol, D. D. The day was as perfect as a day 
in June. Amid the brilliant presence on the platform and before the 
immense assemblage the Admiral stood at the close of Secretary Long's 
eloquent address, with bowed head, to receive the sword at President 
McKiuley's hands. The President said: 

"Admiral Dewey: From your entrance in the harbor of New York, 
with your gallant crew and valiant ship, the demonstrations which 
everywhere have greeted you reveal the public esteem of your heroic 
action, and the fulness of love in which you are held by your country. 

"The voice of the nation is lifted in praise and gratitude for the 



194 ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 

distinguished and memorable services you have rendered the country, 
and all the people give you affectionate welcome home, in which I join 
with all my heart, 

"Your victory exalted American valor and extended American au- 
thority. There was no fla.w in your victory; there will be no faltering in 
maintaining it. 

"It gives me extreme pleasure and great honor in behalf of all the 
people, to hand you this sword, the gift of the nation, voted by the 
Congress of the United States." 

The President handed the Admiral the sword with a deep bow, and 
there was a roar of applause as Dewey received it. All were still as he 
turned to reply. 

Admiral Dewey then said: 

"I thank you, Mr. President, for this great honor you have conferred 
upon me. I thank the Congress for what it has done. I thank the Sec- 
retary of the Navy for his gracious words, I thank my countrymen for 
this beautiful gift, which shall be an heirloom in my family forever, as 
an evidence that republics are not ungrateful, and I thank you, Mr. 
Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, for the gracious, cordial, 
and kindly welcome which you have given me to my home." 

After the tumultuous exhibition of satisfaction on the part of the 
delighted crowd had ended. Cardinal Gibbons pronounced the bene- 
diction. 

On the thirteenth day of October the city of Boston gave the gallant 
Admiral a magnificent reception, on his return from laying the corner- 
stone of Dewey Ilall, which is to be a part of Norwich University, at 
Northfield, Vermont, the institution in which the Admiral received his 
earliest military training. 

Chauncey M. Depew delivered a beautiful address on the occasion of 
this ceremony. Among other utterances he said: 

"The cheering millions along the I'oute of his homeward journey 
voice the acclaim of the whole people for the American who has done 
so much for the country, and the sailor whose deeds have given greater 
luster to our navy, whose record has always been illustrious. The pre- 
.sentation of the sword voted by Congress by the President of the United 
States, in the presence of the Cabinet, the Supreme Court, the Senate, 
and the TTouse of Kepresentatives, at the Capitol was the crowning glory 
of this marvelous ovation. Not yet its culmination and its lesson — not 
yet. That is reserved for his alma mater. With the associations and 
surroundings of this seat of learning the faculty and students receive 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 195 

their fellow-student and honored alumnus. The building which will 
rise upon the corner-stone now laid by Admiral Dewey will remain 
for unnumbered generations as a monument to the advantages of a 
liberal education and the possibilities of American citizenship. 

"The victory of Admiral Dewey has a far wider significance than the 
heroism of the fight. It opened a new chapter in the history of the 
United States. The lifting of the cloud of battle smoke from the waters 
of Manila Bay revealed a new and potential power in the aifairs of the 
world. We must first subdue the rebellion. The more quickly, the more 
energetically, and the more overwhelming the force with which it is 
done the more merciful will be the war and the earlier will come the 
regeneration of the Philippines. 

"The demonstration for a brief period of a government which gives 
protection to life and property, which grants liberty and law, which 
plants schoolhouses and encourages thrift, will be conditions for happi- 
ness they have never experienced and only vaguely imagine possible 
through the anarchy they would now inaugurate. 

"Forty years ago, standing as a young cadet in the Capitol at Mont- 
pelier and gazing upon the statue of Ethan Allen, he exclaimed: 'Life 
can achieve no greater reward than that.' He has won that reward. 
Beside the hero of Ticonderoga will stand a companion figure. 

"Under the one will be the immortal words which began the first 
victory of our revolutionary war: 

" 'I demand your surrender in the name of the Great Jehovah and the 
Continental Congress,' and under the other, the statue of Admiral 
Dewey, the sentence which opened the gates of the Orient for his 
country: 

" 'You may fire when you are ready, Gridley,' " 

An unexpected event (the unexpected was always happening with 
Dewey) took place on November the ninth, in the Capital City. This 
was his marriage to Mrs. Mildred McLean Hazen, widow of the renowned 
General Hazen. Only a few of his most intimate friends had known 
that he had lost his heart to this charming woman. As Mrs. Hazen 
was a member of the Catholic church they were married by a special 
dispensation from Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore. 

Then another unexpected circumstance took place. Previous to his 
marriage Admiral Dewey had been presented with a fine house by a 
large number of admiring friends. He accepted the gift as expressive 
of the feelings of the American people towards him. Immediately 
following the wedding he deeded the house to his wife. Some carping 



196 ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 

critics began to find fault with what he had done. A few newspapers 
tried to fan a flame of discontent among the nation at large for his act. 
It seemed for the moment as though the idol of the country was about 
to be hurled down beneath the feet of an indignant people. 

But the New York Journal expressed the feeling of the overwhelm- 
ing majority of Americans when it said: 

"Admiral Dewey may undo the deed to the house presented him by a 
small portion of his fellow countrymen, but he can never undo the deed 
of May 1, last year. He asked no favors of his country or of his country- 
men. He asked no favors of Montojo. He asked no favors of foreign 
fleets anchored at Manila. He asked for no demonstration in his honor, 
and, lastly, he did not ask for a house. 

"But what he does ask at present is to be let alone. He has spent 
almost all his life at sea, and the least this country can do is to allow 
him to enjoy his 'shore leave' to the end of his d.ays. 

"Suppose a war were to break out to-morrow. Ah! there is where 
the shoe pinches. It would be, 'For God's sake, send Dewey to the 
front;' 'By all means, hurry Dewey after them;' 'Let the country rely 
on Dewey.' 

"Wall Street would go down on its marrow-bones and perform rites 
to him. The persons who regret their miserable contributions would 
turn to Dewey with prayers. 

"Then do you kuow what this grizzled old sailor would do? 

"Newly married, and with almost the only domestic happiness he 
has ever known before him, he would buckle on his sword, hoist the four- 
starred flag of Farragut, and go to battle for the honor of his country 
and the welfare of his selfish countrj-men." 

But it would seem that the house was deeded to Mrs. Dewey in 
order that it might be transferred, without any claim whatever against 
it, to George Dewey, the Admiral's only son. 

The Brooklyn Eagle therefore justly said : 

"Let us all learn charity, while also learning a little law. When held 
in the name of the Admiral, the house was subject to dower rights. 
Since deeded to the son hx the gracious woman to whom the Admiral 
lovingly gave it all, the house has had an indivisible Dewey title. This 
not only perfects the intent of the gift in the present but secures that 
intent for the future. The result is better than the case was before the 
incident began, which is now so happily closed. Out of the bitter has 
come sweet." 



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GEORGE WASHINGTON" 
From an oricinal portrait, '-First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of his Countrymen " 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 

June 17, 1775. 

Such wild days! 

New England blood had never been so hot before. Everybody was 
excited in those four brave colonies all the way from Portsmouth on the 
Piscataqua to New Haven on "The Sound." Most of the people were 
feeling fierce and were willing in their anger to kill the men who had 
come from Old England with swords and muskets to make them bow 
to a king they had learned to hate for his pride and folly. 

Only a few weeks since they shot two hundred and seventy of 
these soldiers in red coats on a furious chase of almost twenty miles from 
Concord to Boston. 

Eight Americans had dropped dead on Lexington Green, about sun- 
rise of April 19, 1775; shot down like dogs by King George's troops— a 
cowardly killing, for the British with four hundred to our fifty, needed 
not to hurt a man, and yet have had their way all the while. 

But they paid a great price for that morning murder. 

The country turned out and soon had the thousand proud English- 
men on the run. Hundreds of "Yankees" were there stinging the fright- 
ened soldiers to death, crowding clo^e to their line of march, making 
every stone wall a little fort, shooting the wretches who had butchered 
their brethren, and teaching an all-the-afternoon lesson of terror and 
vengeance to a haughty enemy. 

That dreadful and glorious day had brought twenty thousand men 
from the New England farms down to Boston, with flint-lock guns over 
their shoulders. It was a crowd rather than an army that had rushed 
together, a crowd of plain and sober country folks, just common every- 
day men who earned their living by hard work all the year around. 

They were peaceable people, too, and great lovers of good order and 
quiet, but they had come out now on purpose to fight, and had shut up 
in Boston ten thousand British soldiers, trained and plucky fighters, 
famous fellows for a battle, admired and feared the wide world over for 
their terrible valor. But the angry New England farmers had come to 

197 



198 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

let those powerful men know that Americans loved liberty well enough 
to (lie for it, and that it was dangerous business for foreign soldiers to 
be meddling where they were not wanted. Not a man in the British 
ranks dared come out of the town. There they were, an army of them, 
corked in by the despised "Yankees." 

This was how matters stood June 10 in and about Boston. It had 
just been found out by the quick-witted Boston people that General 
Gage, the British commander, meant, on June 18, to seize the hills on 
two sides of the city, and hold them with his army. Of course the news 
straightway got out of town and into the American camp. The patriot 
leaders resolved to get the start of their enemies, feeling that they had 
the first right to their own hill tops — so one thousand men were marched 
out of Cambridge late in the evening, June IG, across the narrow isthmus 
of Charlestown "Neck" to Bunker hill, a height rising one hundred and 
ten feet above the water on either side of it. These men carried guns, 
pickaxes and spades, and were ordered to build a dirt fort before morn- 
ing, and be ready to keep the British at the bottom of the hill if they 
should cross the river from Boston and want to climb up. 

Colonel William Prescott, a farmer from Pepperell, ilass., led this 
tiny army, a bold man with a cool head, a first-rate commander. 

Brave Israel Putnam of Connecticut was there too, the man who had 
become known all through the colonies as a hero, who dared, single- 
handed, to fight wolves, Indians, or even that swarthy old rascal Satan, 
himself. 

Before the fight began next day General Warren went, too, as noble 
a spirit as ever dwelt in man's form, a well beloved physician, the favor- 
ite of all Boston, and one of the most valuable leaders of opinion in all 
the colonies. Warren chose to go as volunteer, taking his place, gun in 
hand, among the soldiers. 

By midnight the men were hard at work on their little fort or re- 
doubt, having concluded to go forward to Breed's Hill, a third of a 
mile nearer Boston, than at first intended. 

Four busy hours went by, pick and shovel doing their best, and with 
the morning light came a vast surprise to the British, who saw almost 
more than they could believe to be so; stout fortifications crowned the 
Charlestown hill and were alive with a thousand saucy rebels. 

"Boom, boom!" 

The cannon begin to roar from the English war-ships in Charles 
Eiver at the base of the hill. The great iron balls rush at the bold fort 
and plunge wrathfully into the patriotic dirt-heap of the Americans. 



THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 199 

Nobody hurt, but everybody who is yet iu bed scared and shaken half 
out of his wits, for the racket of a hundred cannon at once so early in 
the day is a sound as frightful as if Boston were being torn to pieces. 

Into the streets hurried the people, then to the tops of their houses, 
to the church steeples, to the hills — all for a chance to see what was 
going on at Bunker and Breed's hills. 

What they then saw, was their friends digging away as hard as 
evei", getting more dirt every minute between them and the British. 

''Bang-bang!'' 

It is war thundering from the ship and the shore. King George the 
Third is bellowing with auger at these Yankee boors on the hill who 
dare to throw dirt in his face. No wonder, either, for the British king 
had always supposed that these Americans were made on purpose for 
his personal convenience, and that if they did not act to suit him they 
not only insulted the king but also abused God, who created the common 
man for the special benefit of the king. So the storm of fire and iron 
is crashing upon that hill, where the plain people are bidding defiance 
to their king. 

The uproar is horrible, and the air is full of flying destruction. One 
would think those rustics up there would drop their work and run for 
their lives. The Yankee spade doesn't stop, however, and the saucy 
breastworks on the hill grow fast. 

But the great guns have shaken good-natured General Gage out of 
bed, and he comes forth dressed in a beautiful uniform to learn why his 
big iron war-dogs are barking so furiously. It almost spoils his good 
nature, though, to see that big bank of fresh dirt across Charles River, 
and a thousand Continentals making it bigger every minute. That is 
really ridiculous, or something worse. 

What shall be done about it? Why, first, of course, eat our break- 
fast. When did gallant Englishman ever refuse to perform that fore- 
most duty of the day? So General Gage began the battle of Bunker 
Hill by an able and successful attack on two mutton-chops and a coffee 
pot, completely wiping out everything standing in his way. Much en- 
couraged by this event, the general calls in bis chief officers for a council 
of war. All agree that the "Rebels" must be brushed off that Charles- 
town hill top. Of course, it would only be necessary to send a few thou- 
sand British soldiers across the Charles River and start them up the 
hill. 

Those farm laborers at the top will be glad enough to get out of the 
way as soon as they see the terrible troops coming. By noon the English 



200 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

army is across the river. Its first attack is made on its own provisions, 
and after liaving gotten tlie better of mucli beef and bread, it begins to 
think about walking up the hill and taking possession of those offending 
earthworks. 

Meantime the Americans have never stopped shoving their spades. 
Hour after hour the work has gone on. Tired and hungry and thirsty — 
from sunrise till mid-day under a scorching summer sky, they fling that 
important dirt where it can be most useful. It was really wonderful, 
and only lion-like men would or could have done it. 

Sure now that the British really meant to attack the new works, 
Prescott and Putnam sent back to Cambridge for more soldiers, know- 
ing that a thousand worn-out men were not enough for the great fight 
that was coming. There were almost five thousand of those brave and 
proud English veterans down there by the river only a thousand yards 
away, almost ready now to make a rush for the little band of exhausted 
heroes. 

The American General Ward, at Cambridge, is very slow in sending 
out the fresh troops called for, but at last about two thousand five hun- 
dred Americans joined their comrades and were ready for the bloody 
work waiting them. Colonel Stark had come with his New Hampshire 
riflemen. The farmer and blacksmith from Northampton, brave Seth 
Ponioroy, is there, too, a famous soldier in the French and Indian war 
twenty years before, and now a general. lie, like Warren, has to come 
to fight in the ranks, and is welcomed with a mighty cheer. 

The Yankee spade has now stopped. The men who have handled it 
so well are resting. The dinner hour goes by and leaves them neither 
food nor drink, but does not take their grit away with it. They will stay 
to fight, though it be against hunger, thirst, weariness and British lead 
all at once, so they are soberly waiting for the deadly business to begin. 

The American oificers now go up and down the lines with cheering 
words. Colonel Prescott mounts the redoubt to get a look at the enemy. 
Tall and powerful in person, he was, of course, at once seen by the 
British, as he bad been by General Gage in the early morning. 

'•Will he fight?"' asked the General of Prescott 's brother-in-law, who 
stood at his side. 

"Yes, sir, depend upon it, 1o the last drop of blood in him, but I 
cannot answer for his men." 

As we shall now see, the men soon made out to answer for themselves 
in an emphatic manner. 

Three o'clock, afternoon. 



\!. 




'I III: i:.rril.li O/'- lUfNKI'.R III 1. 1.. !i()l, 

'I'lic I'ritiHli Jirc Hhiilin;:;. S|)liri(liil I 'I'Ik'v tii.ircli lo music !lii/ii- 
miiiuIh (>r f lifiii — fii'in iiml f'ciirlcss cIdIIiciI in lii'i;^lil coloi-s, Hlr;ii;^lil ii|) 
llic hill. I'lic A iiicrir;iiiH junk on :uiil vv;iil. I'r-t-siol I :itiil I'lilniuji ;irc 
vci'y biiHy iiriioii;^ liicji- incii vvilli NihI onlfr-s. 

"Wail, iiiciil l';il iiiiri'. i,il (iiiiti cotfic cloHc. Nol a HJHtl lili _yi)ii 
can Hcc the uliilcs of llicir eyes! N'oii an- all iiiarkHiiicii; any man of 
yon can kill a H(|iiir'fcl al a liiniiiif<l yai'dH. Aim al, the liaiMJHomc coalH; 
[lick olT the odicciH. KIcady! lire low, and yon will dcHlroy Ihcni alll" 

I'lniH cxhoi-lcd, Ihc ni<-ii i;iy <|ni<'l wailing. 

I'nl Ihal Hpifiidid ar'itiy is coniinj^ on ;.;lofions, (cfrihlc (he hnri- 
di'cd lii-ilish cannon ki'c|iin;^ linn' lo Ihcii- Hlcady Irarnji. In [mtTccI 
ocdcr llic men mov<' uji llio slojn-, (icnirnl Howe al llic r'ij^lil of llicif 
Hlroii}^ lincH. I'.chind Ihc American workw (lie ami drum aic playin^^ 
"^'anl;(•(• Doodle," l»nl all Ih Hilenl. vvhei-c 1 howe men ar-e wailin'4 with 
I heif loaded j^nnH for I he enemy. 

Neai'ec the Mi'IUhIi ace within mnskel shol onl fcom their- tiiick 
i-airks Hnddenly leapH a Hlieel of lire, arrd a thonsand IhiIIcIh hiHK over- 
tlio lieadH of I hi- AmericanH. 

No atiMwec from the hill top; aj^ain and a^ain the ItiiliHli lii-e aH 
they come steadily on hirl not a shot corneH hack. 

"Ilal It's as we t hoii^ht. Tin- Vankec i chels can nev<THtaml hefoi-*- 
the kinff's hi-ave nren. They have skrrlked away from th<-ii- irseleHH dirt 
lieaj)H. On lo the workK — -aird (-onfnHion lo all rcbelH!" How clow lliey 
ai'i- har-dly more I harr a hir rrdre(l feel away. Are I hey really j^oin}^ rtver? 
Will Iliey vvirr wit lioni a (i^hl ? Will not liin^ stop I lierir ? What is that! 
A lerrihh- i-r-y down Ihe lenj^lh of I he silent works, lier-ce with deliance, 
dreadful with diall], orre word, awful as the wiath of <iod: 

"F-i-r-<f!" 

A hnPHt of lif^lil irin^s, a hiir-ricane of dealh. 'I'lioHe once dnil earth- 
workH are ahla/.<' with deslr-nct ion. Uritish H(ddiei-s neyei- faced sinh 
a tempest of lir-e hefor-e. 'I'lic whole front line falls hefore it. The living 
try to Ht.aj.^(^er forwar-d it is only ei^^ht i-ods lo victory. 

"l''onvar(l for I'CinK <le(»rt^e!" 

A{(ain I h<' hla/,e of Ihow terrifK- rifles, and irren ;^od(»wn hy scoreH. 

"I 'p, comr-adeH." 

Atrd Ihe ki arlel ranks try to |»iikIi on, lirrt Ihose patient (nen who 
wailed ho well ar-e hot with Ihe battle, arrd kill wilhonl pi(y. It is no 
UHG. The whole HriliHh line breakH to i)ioc<!t4 — and the proud army ruirn 
down the hill, beaten. 

It is wonderful! 



203 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Nothing like it was ever seen on earth before, a rabble of rustics 
fighting a Icing's army half as large again as itself, and knocking it out 
of breath in a quarter of an hour. 

What a cheer! It is the American hurrah. Brave men, they have 
gloriously earned the right to it ! 

Putnam and Warren and the rest of the leaders are busy everywhere 
among their troops, praising their firmness, and making them ready for 
the new attack they are certain is speedily to come. 

Sure enough, the red coats are getting into line. Now they are 
marching up the hill again, firing as before on the American works as 
soon as their bullets can be made to reach them. 

Meanwhile, red-hot balls from the British batteries on Copp's Hill 
in Boston have set Charlestown in a blaze, adding new hoiTor and sub- 
limity to the hour of battle. The fated town was of wood, closely built, 
and it burned with great fury. Vast volumes of smoke rolled over the 
hill as the fight went on. The Americans waited again in courageous 
silence — while the enemy drew near. They suffered them to come even 
closer than at the first attack, without an answering shot. The British 
felt sure now that they were going over the works, and came hotly ou. 
At six rods only the Americans hurled a monstrous volley into the 
English ranks, shattering them as before. 

The brave troops tried to stand fast, to struggle through the awful 
fire of those unerring rifles, but it was impossible to endure such a storm 
of slaughter more than a few minutes — and again the English gave 
way, rushing down the slope of the hill, now ghastly with a multitude 
of the wounded and dead. 

Again that glorious cheer! 

Liberty has found her voice, having found her heroes. It looks as 
though the fight was done. And our soldiers are almost ready to believe 
that they are to hold their fort without more bloodshed. 

But the English are brave. 

Their generals resolve to try once more for the coveted hill top. It is 
difficult to persuade their troops to venture the new danger. But at 
last the lines are in shape, and the most of the survivors are moving 
toward the attack — though hundreds refuse to march. 

The Americans wait for the third time. 

But they are well nigh helpless to resist. They have spent almost 
their last bullet. On the Bi*itish come, furious, burning to destroy, with 
fixed bayonets this time, and fierce for revenge. The Americans fire 
their last "round" straight in the faces of their foe, killing a multitude, 



THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 203 

and then the fight is over, for the patriots can do no more. They clutch 
at the stones their spades had loosened, and fling them at the men who 
are swarming over the breastworks. This however, only makes known 
their helplessness to the enemy, and hastens the disaster. 

"Retreat!" 

Sadly Prescott gives the order, his stout heail breaking with grief 
at the need of it. So the brave fellows go back, leaving the works they 
have held with matchless valor, and have twice made glorious with 
triumph. 

The British are quite too worn out with the fight to follow, although 
they succeed in sending a volley into the retreating columns, that kills 
and wounds more of our people than the whole fight had done before. 
General Warren was slain at this last moment — a loss to the American 
cause as great as the destruction of an army. 

Five o'clock now, and the two hours just passed have added a crim- 
son page to American history, and brought to the American name a 
glory that, will last forever. 

We lost in the battle, all told, four hundred and fifty men. General 
Gage confesses that one thousand and fifty-four of his men fell. We 
had to give up the field, it is true, but as all the world now looks at it, 
we ("we'' means Americans) won a magnificent victory. The fight told 
the nations that Americans were fit to be free, and were able to be their 
own masters. It gave notice to humanity that a nation was born 
devoted to human liberty, and able to defend it. Humanity understood 
it so, for, as our own Ralph Waldo Emerson proudly says: 

"Here once the embattled farmers stood 
And fired the shot heard around the world." 

And what was thus heard said that five thousand of the best soldiers 
warlike England ever sent out to battle had twice in a single hour run 
away from a little more than half their number of untrained militia men 
who had been picked up in a hurry from the villages and farms of 2sew 
England. 

The battle of Bunker Hill proved to be what the English general, 
Burgoyne, declared it, "a final loss to the British empire in America." 

People who could and would fight for the common rights of man as 
did those heroes of June 17, 1775, could not be kept beneath the feet of 
a king. 

So "Bunker Hill" was a tremendous declaration of American iude- 



204 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

pendence, uttered with the voice of loud battle and recorded in the blood 
of brave and generous men — a declaration, saerod with sacrifice unto 
death and gloi-ious with deeds as great as ever shone in the story of 
the soul or added splendor to the memories of a nation. 

WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE. 

All the heroism, the patience, the fidelity, the fortitude of Washing- 
ton may be seen illustrated in the ever memorable period of the Revo- 
lutionary War, during which he encamped with the remnant of his army 
at Valley Forge. 

This noted place is a small and shallow valley in Chester county, 
Pennsylvania, about twenty miles from Philadelphia, formed between 
rugged hills, containing iron ore, fi-om the working of which it derived 
its name. 

There is now a town of some importance on the site of the old camp- 
ing ground, but during the Revolution there were only a few scattered 
settlers on the banks of the little stream which flows through the bottom 
of the valley. 

On the sides of the hills Washington proposed to encamp his troops 
and there winter them in the huts to be built out of the forest timber 
growing wildly about, and having interstices filled with clay from the 
unfilled soil. 

The motive which governed the commander-in-chief in selecting this 
position was explained by him in the following order to his army previ- 
ous to taking up his march: 

"The General," he said, "ardently wishes it were now in his power 
to conduct the troops into the best winter quarters. 

"But where are these to be found? Should we retire to the interior 
parts of the State, we should find them crowded with virtuous citizens, 
who, sacrificing their all, have left Philadelphia and fled thither for pro- 
tection. 

"To their distresses, humanity forbids us to add. 

"This is not all: we should leave a large extent of fertile country 
to be despoiled and ravaged by the enemy." 

Washington believed Valley Forge to be the position which would 
enable his army to inflict the least distress and give the most security; 
and there "we must make ourselves," he said, "the best shelter in our 
power." 

While the huts were yet unbuilt. Washington, conscious of the trials 



WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE. 205 

to which his badly-clothed troops unprovided with shelter in the midst 
of winter, would be subjected, expresses, in an appeal to their fortitude, 
the hope that the "officers and soldiei-s, with one heart and one mind, 
will resolve to surmount every difficulty, with a fortitude and patience 
becoming their profession, and the sacred cause in which they are 
engaged. 

"He himself," adds the General, "will share in the hardships and par- 
take of every inconvenience." 

Never was human endurance more severely taxed than in the trials 
of the whole American army during the hard winter of 1777-78. 

When the troops moved from Whitemarsh to Valley Forge they 
were already so destitute of shoes and stockings that their footsteps 
might be traced in blood on the hard frozen ground. 

It seemed the most solemn mockery that on the very day before the 
army entered the vallej' which was destined to be the scene of so much 
deprivation and suffering was that which, in accordance with the ap- 
pointment of Congress, was to be kept as "a. day of thanksgiving and 
praise." 

Weary, travel-stained and footsore, the army halted, and the solem- 
nities of the day being reverentially observed by every officer and soldier, 
the whole body of troops, on the following morning resumed the march 
to Valley Forge, where they arrived the same day. 

The troops were at once scattered over the rugged hills, and, being 
divided into parties of twelve men each, were busily occupied in con- 
structing those rude structures which were to be their only shelter 
from the severity of a wintry North American climate. 

The very orders of the army, giving uniformity to misery, show the 
hard necessities to which all alike were now compelled to submit. 

The huts were to be foui'teen feet by six feet; the sides, ends, and 
roofs to be made with logs; the roofs to be made tight with split slabs, 
or in some other way; the sides to be made close with clay; a fireplace 
to be made of wood and secured with clay on the inside eighteen inches 
thick. 

The fireplace to be in the rear of the hut; the door to be in the end 
next the street; the doors to be made of split oak-slabs, tuiless boards 
could be procured; the side-walls to be six and a half feet high. 

One such hut was apportioned to each twelve soldiers, while no 

person under the rank of a field officer, was entitled to the privilege of 

a hut to himself. 
14 



206 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

The whole were to be arranged, as is usual with an encampment, 
in regular streets. 

Should necessity aJone not prove a sufficient stimulus to labor the 
soldiers were encouraged "to industry and art" by the promise of a 
reward of twelve dollars to the party in each regiment which should 
finish its hut in "the quickest and most workmanlike manner." 

And, as boards for the covering of the huts were difficult to be had, 
a provocative to the exercise of ingenuity was offered in the prize of 
one hundred dollars to any officer or soldier who, in the opinion of 
three gentlemen appointed to be judges, should devise a substitute 
equally good, but cheaper, and more quickly made. 

Colonel Joseph Trumball, who had been appointed commissary-gen- 
eral by Washington, resigned at the beginning of the year in conse- 
quence of the officious intermeddling of Congress with the department, 
and ever since the commissariat had been at the mercy of improvident 
folly and cunning dishonesty. 

"I do not know," wrote the commander-in-chief, "from what cause 
this alarming deficiency, or rather, total failure of supplies, arises." 

Again he says: "Unless some great and capital change takes place 
in that line this army must be inevitably reduced to one or the other 
of these three things — starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain 
subsistence in the best manner they can." 

But few days had pas.sed in Valley P'orge when this "melancholy 
and alarming truth" was discovered, that the commissai-y in the camp 
had not "a single hoof of any kind for slaughtei-, and not more than 
twenty-five barrels of flour," to feed some twelve thousand hungry men! 

"The soap, vinegar, and other articles," wrote Washington, "allowed 
by Congress, we see none of, nor have we seen them, I believe, since 
the battle of Brandywine. The first, indeed, we have now little occa- 
sion for; few men having more than one shirt, many only the moiety 
of one, and some none at all. 

"In addition to which, as a proof of the little benefit received from 
a clothier-general, and as a further proof of the inability of an army, 
under the circumstances of this, to perform the common duties of sol- 
diers (besides a number of men confined to hospitals for want of shoes, 
and others in farmer's houses on the same account), we have, by a 
field-return this day made, no less than two thousand eight hundred 
and ninety-eight men now in camp unfit for duty, because they are 
bare-foot and otherwise naked." 

Thousands of soldiers were without blankets, and many kept cow- 



WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE. 207 

ering aud awake the whole night about the c-ampfires for fear h'.st, if 
they went to sleep, they might be frozen to death. 

It was with the greatest difficulty that a sufficient number of men 
could be found in a condition lit to perform the ordinary routine of 
camp duty; and men able-bodied but comparatively naked, were often 
obliged, when ordered out, to borrow clothes from those who were so 
fortunate as to have any. 

One of the foreign officers, while walking with Washington through 
the encampment, looked with such alarm upon the poor, miserable sol- 
diers (as their famished, shrunken frames, scantily covered with a dirty 
blanket, slunk in the biting, wintry air from hut to hut) and heard 
with such dismay, through the open ci*evices between the logs of their 
wretched dwellings, the woful, heart-rending cry: "No pay, no clothes, 
no rum!" that he despaired of the independence of the country. 

"The unfortunate soldiers,"' declared Lafayette, "were in want of 
everything; they had neither coats nor hats, shirts nor shoes. Their 
feet and legs froze till they became black and it was often necessary 
to amputate them. 

"From want of money the officers could obtain neither provisions 
nor any means of transport; the colonels were often reduced to two ra- 
tions, and sometimes even to one. The army frequently remained a 
whole day without any provisions whatever." 

Still, ever on the alert for the performance of his duty as a mili- 
tary commander, Washington, hearing of a movement of the British, 
would have sent out a force to check it. 

He accordingly ordered some of his troops to be ready to march; 
when fi'om General Huntington, who commanded one division, came a 
letter saying: "I received an order to hold my brigade in readiness 
to march. 

"Fighting will be preferable to starving; my brigade are out of pro- 
vision, nor can the commissary obtain any meat. I am exceedingly un- 
happy in being the bearer of complaints to headquarters. I have used 
every argument my imagination can invent to make the soldiers easy, 
but I despair of being able to do it much longer." 

From General Vernon, too, came a letter: "According to the say- 
ing of Solomon," wrote the general, " 'hunger will break through a 
stone wall.' 

"It is therefore a very pleasing circumstance to the division under 
my command that there is a probability of marching. Three days sue- 



208 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

cessively, we have been destitute of bread; two days we have been 
entirely without meat. 

'•The men must be supplied or they cannot be commanded. The com- 
plaints are too urgent to pass unnoticed. It is with pain that I men- 
tion this distress. 

"I know it will make your excellency unhappy; but, if you expect 
the exertion of virtuous principles while your troops are deprived of 
the necessaries of life, your final disappointment will be great in pro- 
portion to the patience which now astonishes every man of human 
feeling." 

Washington, always trustful in the holiness of his cause, never de- 
spaired of its ultimate triumph. 

We can readily believe that, in these times of trial, with the piety 
which never forsook him in adversity or prosperity, he often on his 
knees implored in prayer the mercy of God upon his suffering troops. 

It is recorded by a contemporary witness, a Quaker farmer, that, on 
one occasion while strolling along the valley stream he heard a voice, 
as of one in supplication and prayer, coming out of a secluded spot. 

On approaching the place Washington's horse was found tied near 

by. 

The intruder immediately turned his steps homeward; and, as he 
told his wife what he had seen, he said, with a burst of tears: 

''If there is any one on this earth whom the Lord will listen to, it 
is George Washington." The Quaker was Isaac Potts. 

The commander-in-chief would, however, have been more or less than 
human if his patience had not been disturbed by the officious inter- 
ference of the Pennsylvania legislature with his plans, and its cen- 
sorious strictures in a "Remonstrance" against his conduct. 

"I can assure these gentlemen," he wrote, "that it is a much easier 
and less distressing thing to draw remonstrances in a comfortable room, 
by a warm fireside, than to occupy a cold, bleak hill, and sleep under 
frost and snow, without clothes or blankets. 

"However, although they seem to have little feeling for the naked 
and distressed soldiers, I feel su])erabuudantly for them, and from my 
soul I pity those miseries which it is neither in my power to relieve nor 
to prevent." 

That the army, in the state of destitution and suffering in which it 
was, should occasionally break out in mutinous complaints and refuse 
to do duty, was naturally to be expected. 



WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE. 309 

The long forbearance of his soldiers surprised Washington himself, 
and won from him a grateful tribute to their patient endurance. 

"Naked and starving as they are," he said, "we cannot enough ad- 
mire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery, that they 
have not been, ere this, excited by their own sufferings to a. general 
mutiny and desertion." 

In order to make up for the deficiencies of the ill-managed commis- 
sariat. Congress authorized Washington to resort to the desperate 
expedient of exacting supplies from the people by force. 

Washington unwillingly consented to avail himself of this legal 
authority, in the pressing necessities of his army, but declared that it 
would never do to procure supplies of clothing or provisions by coercive 
measures. 

"Such procedures," he emphatically adds, "may give a momentary 
relief, but if repeated, will prove of the most pernicious consequence. 

"Besides spreading disaffection, jealousy and fear among the people, 
they never fail, even in the most veteran troops, under the most rigid 
and exact discipline, to raise in the soldiery a disposition to licentious- 
ness, to plunder and robbery, difficult to suppress afterward, and which 
has proved not only ruinous to the inhabitants, but in many instances 
to armies themselves. 

"I regret the occasion that compelled to the measure the other day 
and shall consider it among the greatest of our misfortunes if we should 
be under the necessity of practicing it again." 

Was there ever a leader of armies who thus spoke and acted like a 
brother-man and fellow-citizen? 

When this reserve in regard to private property was observed, too, 
in a country hostile to American interests, how much greater appears 
Washington's honorable fastidiousness! 

When, in order to save his men from absolute famine, he reluctantly 
exercised the power conferred upon him by Congress, the inhabitants 
resisted his authority, even unto arms. 

Washington issued a proclamation, in which he required all the 
farmers withiu seventy miles of Valley Forge to thrash out one-half of 
their grain by the first of February, 1778, and the other half by the first 
of March, under the penalty of having the whole seized as straw. 

Many of the disaffected Pennsylvanians, who abounded in that quar- 
ter, refused to comply with the requisition, and when the troops were 
sent out for supplies, and a fair price offered for them, the farmers 
defended their grain and cattle with violence, and in some instances 



210 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

burned what they could not protect, so resolutely hostile were they to 
the American cause. 

Without the necessities of life, man and beast soon began to sicken. 
The horses died for lack of forage; and the poor, wearied, worn-out and 
famishing soldiers were forced to yoke themselves to wagons and sledges 
to bring in what fuel and scanty stores could occasionally be obtained. 

There was as yet no improvement in the commissaiy department. 

The suffering army was constantly being tantalized with accounts 
from all quarters of the prodigious quantity of clothing which was pur- 
cha.sed and forwarded for their use, while little or none reached them, 
or that little so badly sorted as to be practically useless. 

The poor soldier had a pair of stockings given him without shoes, or 
a vest without a coat or blanket to his back. 

The little man had a large pair of trousers, and the large one a small 
coat, so that none were benefited. 

"Perhaps by midsummer," said Washington, with bitter irony, "he 
(the soldier) may receive thick stockings, shoes, and blankets, which he 
will contrive to get rid of in the most expeditious manner. 

"In this way, by an eternal round of the most stupid management, 
the public treasure is expended to no kind of purpose, while the men 
have been left to perish by inches with cold, hunger and nakedness I" 

A putrid camp-fever was the natural consequence of this terrible 
suffering and destitution of all the necessities of life; and so many sick- 
ened, while such numbers deserted daily, that the army was thought to 
be in danger of dissolution. 

"The situation of the camp," wrote General Varnum to General 
Greene, "is such that, in all human probability, the army must soon 
dissolve." 

It did not dissolve. The bravery of Washington conquered the sit- 
uation. The clouds rolled away. The surrender at Yorktown came. 
Independence was gained. The United States took its place among the 
nations of the earth. 



CHAPTER XV. 

GENERAL JACKSON AND THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 

General Jackson established his headquarters at New Orleans, 
December 1st, 1814. 

The whole population of white and black of Louisiana at that time 
hardly numbered one hundred thousand souls. 

New Orleans itself contained but thirty thousand people, more than 
half of whom were black. The whites formed a mongrel population, 
made up of French, Spaniards, and adventurers from all parts of the 
world. 

Jackson found that little reliance was to be placed upon such a 
heterogeneous body of citizens. Many were known to be hostile, and 
were suspected of carrying on treasonable correspondence with the 
enemy. 

Claiborne, governor of Louisiana, had been urged by General Jack- 
son to use every effort to rally the inhabitants of the territory to the 
defense of their homes. The call was made, but with feeble response. 
The resolute Jackson, however, was not to be balked. He wrote to the 
Governor: 

"Whoever is not for us is against us." 

"Those who are drafted must be compelled to the ranks or punished. 
It is no time to balance; the country must be defended. He who refuses 
to aid when called on, must be treated with severity. To repel the 
danger with which we are assailed requires all our energies and all 
our exertions. With union on our side we shall be able to drive our 
invaders back to the ocean. Summon all your energy and guard every 
avenue with confidential patrols, for spies and traitors are swarming 
around. 

"Remember our watchword is 

" 'Victory or death.' 

"We will enjoy our liberty or perish in the last ditch." 

Jackson did not fail even to appeal to the "noble-hearted, generous 
free men of color," and they, with more patriotic fervor than the whites, 
quickly responded by banding themselves into a distinct corps and offer- 
ing their services. 

211 



312 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Several companies of citizen militia Avere then formed, consisting 
of French and American residents, and enrolled. 

A thousand regulars were immediately ordered to New Orleans, 
while the Tennessee militia, under General Carrol, and the mounted 
riflemen, under General Coffee, hastened as of old to Jackson's side. 

Jackson's enertiv and courage soon changed the whole current of 
feeling, and, day and night, the sounds of martial preparation echoed 
along the streets of the city. 

New Orleans, from its position, was exposed to attack from several 
quarters. 

A fleet of more than eighty sail, under the command of Admiral 
Cochrane, carrj'ing on their decks eleven thousand veteran troops, the 
very flower of the British army, fresh from the bloody fields of Spain, 
and led by the gallant and renowned Sir Edward Kakenham, the broth- 
er-in-law of the Duke of Wellington. 

To resist all these New Orleans had no vessels of war, no strong 
fortresses, no army of veteran troops. 

General Jackson, with his undisciplined and half-armed yeomani'y, 
alone stood between the city and destruction. 

He was not ignorant of the fearful odds he had to encounter but 
still he could say to the panic-stricken women who roamed the streets 
filling the air with shrieks and cries of alarm: 

"The enemy shall never reach the city." 

Their fears were at once allayed. 

In the meantime, while he watched the approaching force, he kept 
his eye on the city. 

The press did not manfully sustain him and the legislature, then in 
session, looked upon his actions with suspicion, if not with hostile feel- 
ings. 

When Judge Hall liberated a traitor whom he had imprisoned, Jack- 
son sternly ordered the Judge himself into confinement. 

At lenirth Jackson received the intelliirence of the arrival of the 
British and the anchoring of their fleet at Cat and Ship islands, off the 
entrance to Lake Borgne. 

After making a most heroic defense. Lieutenant Jones, who had been 
sent out to ascertain the force of the enemy, was compelled to sur- 
render. He himself, and Barker, his second in command, were severely 
wounded. But he had succeeded in inflicting great injury upon the 
foe and had sunk a number of their vessels. 

Drawing up his little force Jackson reviewed it and reminded the 



GENERAL JACKSON AND NEW ORLEANS. 213 

troops in inspiriting phrase tliat they were about to tight for all that 
could render life desirable. He said: 

"For your property and lives; for that which is deai*er than all, your 
wives and children; for liberty, without which country, life, and j^rop- 
erty are not worth possessing, you are to battle. 

"Even the embraces of wife and children are a reproach to the wretch 
who would deprive them, by his cowardice, of those inestimable bless- 
ings." 

He said to his immediate friends about him, with a confident ring 
ii^his impassioned words: 

"The redcoats will find out whom they have to deal with! 

"I will smash them, so help me God!" 

Jackson now bent all his energies to erect defenses and make his 
position as impregnable as possible. 

Incapable of fatigue himself, he suffered no one to lag in effort. His 
men were kept constantly at work; and such was his own unceasing 
activity, that it is said he never slept for four days and nights. 

He deepened and widened the ditch which had been dug. The levee 
was cut through, about a hundred yards below, and a broad stream of 
water, some three feet in depth, let in, to impede the approach of the 
enemy's infanti'y. 

The intrepid Coffee was placed here, who, with his heroic followers, 
day after day, and night after night, stood knee-deep in the mud and 
slept on the brush which they had piled together to keep them from the 
water. 

Cotton bales were brought and covered over to increase the breadth 
and depth of the breastwork. Having completed these fortifications 
Jackson mounted five pieces of heavy cannon on the summit. 

Thus prepared, the Americans resolutely awaited the approach of 
their British assailants. 

Jackson now learned of a contemplated "fire in the rear." 

He was told that the legislature had become frightened, and was 
discussing the propriety of surrendering the city to the English. While 
harboring this traitorous design the legislature sent a committee to 
inquire of Jackson what he designed to do if compelled to abandon his 
position. 

"If," he replied, "I thought the hair of my head could divine what I 
should do, I would cut it off immediately. 

"Go back with this answer to your honorable body: 



214 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

"If disaster does overtake me, and the fate of war drives me from 
my line to the city, they may expect to have a warm session." 

Jackson at once issued this order to Governor Claiborne: 

"Closely watch the conduct of the legislature, and the moment the 
project of offering a capitulation with the enemy is disclosed, place a 
guard at the door of the chamber, and shut the members in." 

The governor, in his zeal and overflowing patriotism, determined to 
make sure work of it, and so turned the whole of them out of doors. 

His secretary said to Jackson, after his victory: 

"General, what would you have done if you had been forced to 
retire?" He replied: 

"I should have retreated to the city, fired it and fought the enemy 
amid the surrounding flames." 

On Sabbath morning, January 8th, General Pakenham, leading his 
force of 12,000 picked men, made a direct assault upon Jackson's re- 
doubt, behind which were 6,000 poorly drilled but determined American 
troops. 

New Orleans was startled from its slumbers by an explosion of 
cannon that shook the city. 

The battle had begun. On came the enemy in two columns. They 
swept in double quick action across the plain. 

Three thrilling cheers rose over the dark intrenchments, at the sight, 
and then all was still again. 

Onward they pressed, confident of victory, but the moment they came 
in range, a murderous artillery fire from the cannon was opened upon 
them. 

Frightful gaps were made in their ranks at every discharge, which 
were closed up by living men, only the next moment to be reopened. 

Still on they came, those men of iron, who had fought gloriously 
under the Iron Duke. 

But as the two doomed columns reached the farthest brink of the 
ditch, the command rang along the whole American line: 

"Fire!" 

The next moment the intrenchments were in a blaze. 

It was a solid sheet of flame rolling on the foe. 

Stunned by the tremendous and deadly volleys, the front ranks 
stopped and sank to the ground. 

But high over the booming of cannon were heard the shouts of the 
oflScers, and the roll of drums beating the charge. 



GENERAL JACKSON AND NEiV ORLEANS. 215 

Still, bravely breasting the fiery hail, the ranks were urged forward, 
but only to melt away on the edge of that fatal ditch. 

Jackson, with flashing eye and flushed brow, rode slowly along the 
lines, cheering the men with words of encouragement, and issuing his 
orders, followed by loud huzzas as he passed. 

From the effect of the American fire, he knew, if the troops stood 
firm, the day was his own. 

Every man was a marksman, although not a soldier drilled in tactics, 
and every shot told. No troops in the world could withstand their 
destructive aim. 

Mowed down by companies, they fell back in terror. 

Pakenbam at once put himself at the head of his troops, shouting: 

"On, men! On, men! don't give way!" 

A musket ball struck him in the knee; another killed his horse. 

"Here, quick, give me another horse," he cried out. 

Again he was at the head of the renowned Forty-fourth, which had 
never failed him on other fields of slaughter. 

Another ball struck him. Reeling from his saddle he fell, mortally 
wounded. 

Generals Gibbs and Keane were also wounded while trying to rally 
their commands. Then the maddened columns turned and fled. 

General Lambert, hastening up with the reserves, endeavored to stop 
their flight. He partially succeeded, and again they advanced. 

But all in vain! They could not stand the hail of death. They 
retreated in utter dismay. 

The battle of New Orleans was over. 

Two thousand six hundred brave British soldiers were killed and 
wounded, while the American loss was eight killed and thirteen 
wounded. 

With the humaneness and generosity which has ever distinguished 
American soldiers, Jackson's men hastened, as soon as the firing was 
over, to succor the wounded, console the dyiug and bury the dead. 

The hero of the battle made his triumphal entry into the city. 

Bells were rung, maidens dressed in white strewed flowers in Jack- 
son's path; the heavens echoed with acclamations, and blessings 
unnumbered were poured on his head. 

But he reverently acknowledged that the God of nations had given 
him the victory. That divine Hand he recognized in all the periods of 
his stormy, adventurous and wonderful life. 



816 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

In 1840 he made a public profession of the Christian faith and united 
with the Presbyterian Church. 

Of bis regard for the Bible be left this testimony: 

**Tbis book is the bulwark of our republican iustitutions, the anchor 
of our present and future. . . . The Bible is true. Upon that sacred 
volume I rest my hope of eternal salvation." 

GENERAL WINFIELD T. SCOTT.— THE CAPTURE OF MEXICO. 

On the 13th day of September, 1847, General Scott began his attack 
upon the strongly fortified heights of Chapultepec which commanded 
the City of Mexico. 

At daybreak of that beautiful morning the American artillery began 
to play. 

Each shot told with terrible effectiveness upon the columns massed 
within the fortifications. At nine o'clock, after an impatient waiting 
on the part of the American forces for the order to charge, General 
Scott rang out the welcome command, 

"Forward!" 

The intrepid soldiery now began the toilsome ascent, the batteries 
clearing the way before them. General Pillow bravely led his men 
through the forest filled with the enemy's sharpshooters and came to 
the open ground just under the rocky height. While thus riding vic- 
toriously onward this noble oflScer fell mortally wounded. General 
George Cadwallader, who afterward served with distinction in the Civil 
War, assumed command and above the tempest of battle his voice was 
heard : 

"Forward! my men, forward!" 

Up those rugged steeps they went, fearless of the fatal fire which 
was thinning their ranks. On the summit of the redoubt, erected be- 
tween them and the castle, the enemy's batteries had been placed, 
which poured incessant shot upon the American infantry as they crossed 
the intervening space, broken by rocks and chasms. 

The Mexicans had honeycombed the redoubt with mines, which they 
were ready to explode if the American soldiers should capture it. 

Again Cadwallader's sonorous voice was heard: 

"Now for the final charge, my men. Charge!" 

Up in one swift and terrible movement they went. So sudden and 
rapid and completely successful was it that the gunners had barely- 
time to leave their smoking pieces. 




GENERAL WIXFIELD SCOTT 




o 
u 



(I. 



D 



a 
a 



GENERAL WINFIELD T. SCOTT. 217 

Death below the ground did not emerge in the thunder and light- 
ning which the enemy expected would attend his coming by the firing 
of the mines. 

Scott had watched with anxious heart the advance of his valorous 
troops as they now reached the ditch just below the castle walls. 

Will they now be able to scale those frowning battlements? 

The ditch must be filled with fascines, scaling ladders must be put 
against the castle's sides. 

Down upon these heroes comes the hail of lead. Still they did not 
flinch. Again Cadwallader's voice was heard: 

"Hurry up, my men. Here, throw them in. Down with them. 
That's all right. Now we can go." 

Thus the fascines went in and then the scaling ladders went up 
against the rock-ribbed fortress. Balls and bayonets met the leaders 
of the assaulting host. Down they went to help make, by their mangled 
bones, a pathway with the fascines for their undaunted comrades to 
reach the summit. And up those comrades climbed. Those below 
shouted to those above on the swaying ladders: 

"Go on, go on, we're coming after." 

On they went. They have reached the top. Face to face with the 
foe for a moment, then face to back. 

The enemy have fled. "The streams of heroes," like an inundation, 
have swept over the walls and now rush on, on like a mighty tidal 
wave after the panic-stricken foe. 

Lieutenant Ried, of the New York Volunteers, was the very first 
man to stand on the ramparts. kSteele, of the Second Regular Infantry, 
was the next. Wounded and weak from loss of blood Ried still kept 
on. Higher and higher he went toward the Mexican banner that waved 
above him. 

Reaching up and exerting his utmost strength he tore it down and 
then fell fainting on it. 

But now, as the American flag and the regimental standard were 
waving and men were shouting themselves hoarse over the victory, 
Scott saw a sight that pained him beyond exj)ression. 

At Molino del Rey the Mexicans had shown no mercy to the wounded 
and helpless American soldiers within their lines: 

"Revenge! Revenge! Remember Molino del Rey!" was the cry of 
the troops as they shot and bayonetted the shrieking Mexican fugi- 
tives. 

Riding among his men, Scott cried out with all the vehemence of 



218 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

his nature, although he knew the terrible provocation under which, 
in the almost uncontrollable excitement, they labored, 

"Soldiers, soldiers, deeds like yours are recorded in history. Be 
humane and generous, my boys, as you are victorious, and I will get 
down on my bended knees for you to-night." 

The carnage ceased; mercy reigned. 

The capital was now at the feet of Scott. The agonized populace had 
watched with hope and fear the progress of the fight. And when they 
saw the Stars and Stripes waving over the last stronghold of their 
country and the Mexican infantry and artillerv' rushing toward them 
in wildest confusion, a cry of despair rent the very heavens. 

A little handful of soldiers had conquered. Scarcely six thousand 
men had encountered thirty thousand Mexicans intrenched in a seem- 
ingly impregnable fortress. They were three hundred miles from their 
ships, and were without depots and garrisons. 

It was a fearful risk to take. It would seem as though no govern- 
ment could ever allow such a condition of things to prevail. Both 
indifference and intriguing at Washington had brought about the peril- 
ous situation. 

If the Mexican war "was conceived in sin and brought forth in in- 
iquity," as its opponents averred, still, having declared war, the valiant 
American forces, with their intrepid commander, should have been sup- 
ported heart and soul by the American government. 

A glory to be forever undimmed crowned the deeds of these volun- 
teer and regular soldiers of our army. General Scott entered in tri- 
umph the C\tj of Mexico. The ultimate result of the war was the 
annexation of an empire of territory' to the United States. 

When the Civil War broke out. General Scott was too old and infirm 
to take an active part in it. All who appreciated his wonderful mili- 
tary genius greatly regretted that he could not direct the Union army. 

In a few words his character may be summed up. General Scott 
was very exacting in his discipline — that power which Carnot calls "the 
glory of the soldier and the strength of armies." His stately figure, 
which like that of Saul made him tower head and shoulders above 
the ordinary man, combined with his exactness in dress and rigid re- 
quirements of discipline, gave him his only nickname of "Fuss and feath- 
ers." But his soldiers loved him none the less for the peculiarities 
which gave him the appellation. 

He was a thoroughly religious and patriotic man, and exemplified 
in his conduct the attributes of a loyal, courageous, upright soldier. 



GENERAL WINFIELD T. SCOTT. 219 

well worth the imitation of every young American. He had a pas- 
sionate love for the magnificent animal which had carried him on so 
many memorable occasions. 

The last words of the grand old veteran were those spoken to his 
servant. He* said: 

"James, take good care of the horse." 

General Scott was bom near Petersburg, Virginia, June 13th, 17SC, 
and died as Lieutenant-General of the army at West Point, New York, 
May 29th, 1866. 

It is very gratifying to note as an evidence of the good feeling 
now existing between the United States and our sister Republic of 
Mexico, that all the battle trophies brought from that country by our 
victorious soldiers were recently returned to the Mexican government 
by the authority of the American Congress. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin — now Larue — county, Ken- 
tucky, on February 12, 1809. His ancestors were among the early 
settlers of Rockingham county, Virginia, whither they had gone from 
Berks county, Pennsylvania, and from which his grandparents removed 
to Kentucky about the year 1781. His father, Thomas Lincoln, was 
born in Virginia, and married Nancy Hanks, also a Virginian, in 180(5. 
Mrs. Nancy Lincoln died in 1818, and in a year and six months Thomas 
married again, this wife being an old neighbor, a widow named Johns- 
ton. During the life of his first wife, in 1816, Mr. Lincoln settled in 
what is now Spencer county, Indiana, where Abraham's early life 
was spent in toiling on the farm, cleaning up fresh land and doing 
what was heavy work for a lad of seven or eight years. It was here 
he received the one year's schooling which was all he ever had. He 
became expert at figures, and read over and over the few books he 
could lay hands on in that wilderness home, often reading by the 
ruddy blaze of a log fire when the others were fast asleep. Among 
these scant books were Weems' "Life of Washington," "The Pilgrim's 
Progress," and the Revised Statutes of Indiana. He kept a common- 
place book, into which he copied such passages as struck him as pai'- 
ticularly fine. Out of these meager surroundings grew into shape the 
man who ruled and guided the nation in its critical hour. 

THE BOYHOOD OF LINCOLN. 

"Uncle Dennis" Hanks, an old friend of the Lincoln family, tells of 
a visit to them, "when Abe was about nine" years of age. A glimpse 
of boyish enthusiasm is afforded by his recollection that "Abe had 
killed a turkey the day we got there, and couhln't get through tellin' 
about it." 

The kind old uncle began to teach the boy to write, but great diffi- 
culty was experienced in providing writing materials. Those were 
overcome, however, in this way, as described by t^ncle Dennis: 

220 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 221 

"Sometimes he would write with a piece of charcoal, or the p'int 
of a burnt stick, on the fence or floor. We got a little paper at the 
country town, and I made ink out of blackberry briar-root and a little 
copperas in it. It was black, but the copperas would eat the paper 
after awhile. I made his first pen out of a turkey-buzzard feather. 
We had no geese them days. After he learned to write he was 
scrawlin' his name everywhere; sometimes he would write it on the 
white sand down by the crick bank and leave it till the waves would 
blot it out." 

That humble name was destined to be written one day where not 
all the waters of the seas could ever wash the mark away. 

Uncle Dennis continues: 

"Abe was at this time not grown, only six feet two inches high. 
He was six feet four and one-half inches when grown — tall, lathy and 
gangling — not much appearance, not handsome, not ugly, but pecu- 
liar. He was this kind of a fellow: 

"If a man rode up on horseback, Abe would be the first one out, 
up on the fence, and asking questions, till his father would give him 
a knock side o' the head; then he'd go throw at snowbirds or suthin'; 
but ponderin' all the while. 

"I was ten years older, but I couldn't rassle him down. His legs 
was too long for me to throw him. He would fling one foot upon my 
shoulder and make me swing corners swift, and his arms were long 
and strong. My, how he would chop! 

"His ax would flash and bite into a sugartree or sycamore, and 
down it would come. If you heard him fellin' trees in a clearin' you 
would say there were three men at work by the way the trees fell. 
But he was never sassy or quarrelsome." 

An old neighbor of the Lincoln family testifies: 

"Whenever the court was in session he was a frequent attendant, 
as often as he could be spared from the labors of the farm, and espe- 
cially when a lawyer of the name of John A. Breckenridge was to 
appear in any case. Breckenridge was the foremost- lawyer in that 
region, widely famed as an advocate in criminal cases. Lincoln was 
sure to be present when he spoke. 

"Doing his 'chores' in the morning, he would walk to Boonville, 
the county seat of Warrick county, seventeen miles away, and then 
home again in time to do his 'chores' at night, repeating this day after 
day. The lawyer soon came to know him. Years afterward, when 

15 



223 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Lincoln was President, a venerable gentleman one day entered bis 
office in tbe Wbite House, and standing before him, said: 

" 'Mr. President, you don't know me.' 

"Mr. Lincoln eyed him sharply for a moment, then quickly replied, 
with a smile: 

•' 'Yes, I do; you are John A. Breckenridge. I used to walk thirty- 
four miles a day to hear you plead law in Boonville, and listening to 
your speeches at the bar first inspired me with the determination to 
be a lawyer.' 

"After he had heard a fine argument at court or a sermon at 'meet- 
in' " the boy would argue and preach 'in and out of season,' fired with 
ambition to shine as an orator. The awkward, half-clad, bashful boy 
was burning with enthusiasm, with ambition, and vague premonitions 
of a great career." 

In 1830 a traveling peddler came one evening to a cabin in Illinois 
and asked the farmer's wife if he could stay at the house all night. 

"We can feed your beast," was the answer, "but we cannot lodge 
you unless you are willing to sleep with the hired man." 

"Let's have a look at him first," said the peddler. 

The woman pointed to the side of the house, where a lank, six-foot 
man, in ragged but clean clothes, was stretched on the grass reading 
a book. "He'll do," said the stranger. 

The "hired man" was Abraham Lincoln. 

LINCOLN'S MAIDEN SPEECH. 

Judge Bell, of Mount Carmel, 111., gives the maiden speech of Abra- 
ham Lincoln, delivered in Pappsville, near Springfield, 111., nearly fifty 
years ago. Mr. Lincoln was not then a lawyer, and had no intention of 
becoming a lawyer. He had then made up his mind to learn the black- 
smith trade. His genius was recognized, and he was suddenly nom- 
inated for the legislature. His first speech is most interesting reading 
at this time. It was as follows: 

"Gentlemen and fellow-citizens: I presume you all know who I am. 
I am humble Abraham Lincoln. I have been solicited by many friends 
to become a candidate for the legislature. My politics are short and 
sweet. I am in favor of a national bank; am in favor of the internal 
improvement system and a high protective tariff. These are my senti- 
ments and political principles. If elected, I shall be thankful; if not, it 
will be all the same." 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 223 

OLD ABE OF SANGAMON COUNTY. 

Judge Alexander Jameson, LL. D., relates the following incidents: 

"In the summer preceding the election of 1856 some one suggestetl 
one evening that we go over to Dearborn Tark to hear a Republican 
speech. Entering the park, which was ill-lighted, so that our crowd 
could hear, but see little or nothing, we found a crowd surrounding a 
stand, on which spot there has since been a feeble effort to erect a 
fountain. On the stand was some one speaking. No name was given 
me and I began to listen. 

*'It was not long before I found myself, unimpressionable as I am 
usuallj-, cheering at some remarkably well-put point of Eepublican doc- 
trine. By and by I swung my hat in the air, and before many minutes 
elapsed my hat went up again with others amid a whirlwind of shouts, 
so clear, forcible and decisive were the arguments of the speaker, a 
tall man as I could see. 

"I then asked a bystander who that man was. 

" 'Why, don't you know?' was the reply; 'that's Old Abe, Abe Lin- 
coln from Sangamon County.' 

"That was my first sight of the heaven-sent liberator, Abraham 
Lincoln. 

''From that evening I have never had a doubt of the supreme ability 
of that great and good man. I saw him three times afterwards: once 
when he was counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad Company, in a 
suit brought against it by George C. Bates, and in passing I will men- 
tion a little incident that occun-ed in my presence in the court room 
during the trial. 

"I was sitting with Mr. Moulton, late master-in-chancery of the 
United States Circuit Court, a man of infinite jest, when Mr. Lincoln 
came up to him and showing him a letter they had a hearty laugh over 
its contents. 

"It was from Mr. Lincoln's little son, who said: 'His mother wanted 
him to tell his papa not to forget to put on his clean shirt in the 
morning.' " 

Judge Jameson continues: "When Lincoln came to speak in closing 
the case for the defendants, I felt a little disappointed. His voice was 
high, thin, almost screechy, and his argument was labored. I could 
not help feeling that his judgment was not fully convinced that his case 
was a just one, and it is well known that he never made a successful 
argument when such a condition existed. His integrity so permeated 



224 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

his mind and all its faculties tliat it refused to act at its highest if his 
conscience was not thoroughly in accord with his official position. This 
may be an error, but his speech, though aiding in securing a judgment 
for the defendants, was not what 1 call a great forensic effort. 

"The second time I saw him was when he had a reception at the 
Tremont House after his election to the Presidency. His face already 
•wore the impress of the immeasurable burden beginning to s<'ttle down 
upon him, the look of one who suffers but will not flinch, whatever may 
befall him. 

"The last time I saw him was on his return to Chicago, the victim 
of an assassin, followed by the tears and lamentations of our whole peo- 
ple and of the people of ail lands." 

LINCOLN THE TYPICAL AMERICAN. 

At the famous New England dinner in New York, the lamented 
Henry W. Orady, the late brilliant editor of the Atlanta Constitu- 
tion, referred to Abraham Lincoln as the First Typical American. We 
give the jiddif'ss as it was (lelivered, properly punctuated with the 
enthusiastic applause which it received: 

"Pardon me one word, Mr. President, spoken for the purpose of 
getting into the volumes that go out annually freighted with the rich 
eloquence of your siteukers — the fact that the Cavalier as well as the 
Puritan wa« on this continent in its early days, and that he was 'up 
and able to be about.' [Lnughter.] T luive read your books carefully 
and I find no mention of tiiat fact, which seems to me important for 
preserving a sort of historical equilibrium. 

"With the Cavalier once established as a fact in your charming 
little l)0((ks 1 shall let him work out his own salvntion, as lie has always 
done with engaging gallantry, and we will hold no controversy as to 
his merits. Why should we? Neither Puritan nor Cavalier long sur- 
vived as such. The virtues and traditions of both happily still live 
for the inspiration of their sons and the saving of the old fashion. 
[Apjdause.J 

"But both Puritan and Cavalier were lost in the storm of their first 
revolution, and the American citizen, sujtiilanting both, and stronger 
than either, took possession of the re})nblic bought by their common 
blood and fashioned to wisdom, and charged himself with teaching 
men government and establishing the voice of the people as the voice 
of God. [Applause.] 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 225 

"Great typos, like valuable plants, are slow to flower and frnit. I5ut 
from the union of these colonists, froiri the straightening^ of tlicir pur- 
poses and the crossing of their blood, slow perfecting through a cen- 
tury, came he who stands as the first typical American, the^ first who 
comprehended within himself all the strength and gentleness, all the 
majesty and grace of this llei)ublic — Abraham Lincoln. [Loud and 
long-continued api)lause.] 

"He was the sum of IMiritau and Cavalier, for in his ardent nature 
were fused the virtues of both, and in the depths of his great eoul the 
faults of both were lost. [Kenewed applause.] 

"He was greater than Puritan, greater than Cavalier, in that he 
was American [renewed aj(phiuse|, and that in his homely form were 
first gathered the vast and thrilling forces of this ideal government — 
charging it with such tremendous meaning and so eleyjiting it above 
human suffering that martyrdom, though infamously aimed, came as 
a fitting crown to a life consecrated from the cradle to human liberty. 
[Loud and prolonged cheering.] 

"Let us, each cherishing his traditions and honoring his fathers, 
build with reverent hands to the tyj»e of this sim[)l(' bul sublime life, 
in which all types are honored, and in the common glory we shall win 
as Americans there will be j)Ienty and to spare for your forefather)* 
and for mine." [Kenewed and long prolonged cheering.] 

CHAKACTEU OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

BY COL. ROBERT G. INGERSOLU 

Abraham Lincoln was one of the few who saw that slavery could 
not exist forever. He was born in a cabin — laid in the lap of tlie f)oor — 
born in a cabin in the wilderness of Kentucky, yet he roH<' to such a 
supreme and sj)lendid height that fame never reached higher than his 
brow when putting its laurels on the brow of a human being. He 
was a man who was true to himself, and for that reason true to others. 

He was a strange mingling of mirth and tears, of the perfect and 
grotesque, of Socrates and Rabelais, of yEso|» and .Marcus Aurelius, of 
all that was noble and just, of mercy and honesty, m<rciful, wise, lov- 
able and divine — and all consecrated to the use of man, while through 
all and over all was an overwhelming sense of chivalry and loyalty, 
and above all the shadow of a perfect mind. 

Of nearly all the great characters of history we know nothing of 



226 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

their peculiarities. About the oalis of these great men, and about the 
roots of these oaks, we know nothing of the earth that clings to them. 
Washington himself is now a stwl engraving. About the real man 
who lived, who loved, who schemed and who succeeded, we know noth- 
ing. The glass through which we look at him is of such high magni- 
fying power that the features are indistinct. ITundreds of people are 
now engaged smoothing out the lines in Lincoln's face so that he may 
be known, not as lie really was, but, according to their poor standard, 
as he should have been. 

Abraham Lincoln was not a type; he stands alone — no ancestors, 
no followers and no successors. lie had the advantage of living in a 
new country, the advantage of social equality, of personal freedom, of 
seeing in the horizon of his life the perpetual star of hope. He knew 
and mingled with men of every kind, and became familiar with the 
best books. In a new country you must possess at least three quali- 
ties — honesty, courage and generosity. 

In cultivated society cultivation is often more important than soil; 
and, while a polished counterfeit sometimes passes more readily than 
the blurred genuine, it is necessary only to observe the uncertain laws 
of society to be honest enough to keep out of the penitentiary and gen- 
erous enough to subscribe in public when the subscription can be 
defined as a business investment. 

In a new country character is essential; in the old, reputation is 
often sufficient. In the new they find what a man is; in the old he 
generally passes for what he resembles. People separated by distance 
are much nearer together than those divided by the walls of caste. 

Lincoln never finished his education, although he was always an 
inquirer and a seeker after knowledge. You have no idea how many 
men are spoiled by what is called education. For the most part col- 
leges are where pebbles are polished and diamonds dimmed. 

If Shakespeare had graduated at Oxford he might have been a 
quibbling attorney or a poor parson. Lincoln was a many-sided man, 
as reliable as the direction of gravity. Ilis words were kind as mercy, 
and gave a perfect image of his thought. He was never afraid to ask, 
never too dignified to admit that he did not know. 

Lincoln was natural in his life and thought, master of the story- 
telling art, liberal in speech, using any word which wit would disin- 
fect. He was a logician. He did not say what he thought others 
thought, but what he thought. He was sincerely natural. If you wish 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 227 

to be sublime you must keep close to the grass. Too much polish sug- 
gests insincerity. 

If you wish to know what is the difference between an orator and 
the elocutionist read Lincoln's wondrous words at Gettysburg and then 
read the speech of Edward Everett. The oration of Lincoln will never 
be forgotten; it will live until languages are dead and lips are dust. 
The speech of Everett will ever be read. 

Lincoln was an immense personality, firm but not obstinate — obsti- 
nacy is egotism, firmness is heroism. He influenced others and they 
submitted to him. He was severe to himself, and for that reason lenient 
to others, and appeared to apologize for being kinder than his fellows. 
He did merciful things as stealthily as others committed crimes. 

He did and said the noblest deeds and words with that nobleness 
that is the grace of modesty. Everything for prdnciple, nothing for 
money, everything for independence. Where no principle is involved 
easily swayed, willing to go somewhere if in the right direction; will- 
ing to stop sometimes; but he would not go back, and he would not go 
away. 

He knew that fight was needed and full of chances; he knew that 
slavery had defenders, but no defense, and that those who advocated 
the right must win some time. He was neither tyrant nor slave. Noth- 
ing discloses real character like the use of power, and it was the quality 
of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it 
except upon the side of mercy. Wealth could not purchase power, 
could not awe this divine, this loving man. 

He knew no fear except the fear of doing wrong. He was the em- 
bodiment of self-denial and courage. He spoke not to upbraid, but to 
convince. He raised his hands not to strike, but in benediction, and 
lived to see pearls of tears on the cheeks of the wives whose husbands 
he had saved from death. Lincoln was the grandest figure of the great- 
est civil war of our world." 

THE SYMPATHY OF LI>X'OLN. 

The greatness of a man's nature comes out more beautifully, per- 
haps, in sympathy than anywhere else. A new and beautiful story has 
recently been published concerning Abraham Lincoln. It was while he 
was a member of Congress, and was home in Springfield, 111., during 
the Congressional recess. He was going down the street one morning. 



228 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

when he saw a little girl standing at the gate with her hat and gloves 
on, as if ready for a journey, sobbing as if her heart would break. 

"Why, what's the matter?" inquired the great, tall Congressman. 
And then she poured her broken little heart out to him, telling how she 
had arranged to take her first trip on the cars that day, and the express- 
man had failed to come for her trunk and she was going to miss the 
train. 

"How big is the trunk? There's still time, if it isn't too big." And 
he pushed through the gate and up to the door. 

She took him up to her room, where her little, old-fashioned trunk 
stood, locked and tied. "Oh!" he cried. "Wipe your eyes and come on, 
quick."' 

And, before she knew what he w-as going to do, he had shouldered 
the trunk, was downstairs and striding out of the yard. Down street 
he went, as fast as his long legs could carrj- him. 

The little girl trotted behind, drying her tears as she went. They 
reached the station on time, and Abraham Lincoln sent his little friend 
away happy. I doubt if any other scene in the splendid life of that 
noble man reveals more beautifully the simplicity and grandeur of his 
noble heart. It is of the same grade and quality of action that after- 
ward, when applied to national affairs, made men love him all over 
the world. 

PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S PRAYER. 

The following touching story of Lincoln is relateil by Colonel Day- 
ton: "Shortly after the battle of Getty.sburg, General Sickles, badly 
wounded, was brought to Washington by some members of his staff 
and was taken to the private house of a Mr. Dule, on F street, opposite 
or nearly opposite the Ebbitt House. The brave hero of many a hard 
won field we thought was very near his last muster. 

"The morning after his arrival President Lincoln, with his boy. Tad, 
was announced. He walked with solemn tread into the room where 
the general lay hardly gasping. We all thought he was dying. Dr. 
Simms was holding his pulse, and as Mr. Lincoln approached the bed- 
side with Tad he was much affected. He raised his head to heaven, 
while big drops of tears fell from his eyes, and offered up the most 
fervent prayer I ever heard. Not a dry eye was in that room, all, even 
Tad, were sobbing. I cannot remember the exact words of the prayer, 
but this portion will never be effaced from my memory: 'O God, let 
me not lose all my friends in this war.' Mr. Lincoln was very fond of 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 239 

General Sickles and visited him almost every day, and sent flowers 
of the choicest kind to his room daily from the White House con- 
servatory." 

General James F. Rusling, of Trenton, N. J., in an article in the 
Independent enlarges upon the incident. 

"It may be his early beliefs were unsettled and variable, but it is 
certain that our great war, as it progressed, sobered and steadied him, 
and that in the end he came to accept as the rule of his life 'to do 
justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God.' As striking 
evidence of this I beg to give a significant conversation of his in my 
presence in July, 1863, in Washington, D. C, on the Sunday after the 
battle of Gettysburg. General Sickles, of New York, had lost a leg on 
the second day at Gettysburg, while in command of the Third Corps, 
and arrived in Washington on the Sunday following (July 5j. As a 
member of his staff I called to see him, and while there Mr. Lincoln 
also called, with his son Tad, and remained an hour or more. He 
greeted Sickles very heartily and kindly, of course, and complimented 
him on his stout fight at Gettysburg, and then, after inquiring about 
our killed and wounded generally, passed on to the question as to what 
Meade was going to do with his victory. They discussed this pro and 
con at some length, Lincoln hoping for great results if Meade only 
pressed Lee actively, but Sickles was dubious and diplomatic, as became 
so astute a man. And then presently General Sickles turned to him, 
and asked what he thought during the Gettysburg campaign, and 
whether he was not anxious about it. 

"Mr. Lincoln gravely replied, no, he was not; that some of his cab- 
inet and many others in Washington were, but that he himself had had 
no fears. General Sickles inquired how this was, and seemed curious 
about it. Mr. Lincoln hesitated, but finally replied: 'Well, I will tell 
you how it was. In the pinch of your campaign up there, when every- 
body seemed panic-stricken, and nobody could tell what was going to 
happen, oppressed by the gravity of our affairs, I went to my room one 
day, and locked the door, and got down on my knees before Almighty 
God, and prayed to him mightily for victory at Gettysburg. I told him 
this was his war, and our cause his cause, but that we couldn't stand 
another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville. And I then and there 
made a solemn vow to Almighty God that if he would stand by our 
boys at Gettysburg I would stand by him. And he did, and I will. 
And after that (I don't know how it was, and I can't explain it), soon a 
sweet comfort crept into my soul that things would go all right at Get- 



230 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

tysburg. And this is why I bad no fears about you.' He said this sol- 
emnly and pathetically, as if from the very depths of his heart, and both 
Sickles and I were deeply touched by his manner, 

"Then he added, 'I have been praying over Vicksburg also, 
and believe our heavenly Father is going to give us victory there, too, 
because we need it, in order to bisect the Confederacy, and have the 
Mississippi flow unvexed to the sea.' Of course he did not know that 
Vicksburg had already fallen, July 4, and that a gunboat was soon to 
ari"ive at Cairo with the great news that was to make that Foui'th of 
July memorable in history forever." 

LINCOLN'S ADDRESS AT GETTYSBURG. 

Delivered on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the soldiers' 
cemetery. Copied (including punctuation) from a photograph of the 
original manuscript. 

"Four-score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this 
continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and deilicated to the 
proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in 
a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so con- 
ceived and so dedicated, can long endure. 

"We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to 
dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who 
here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether 
fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we 
can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this 
ground. 

"The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have conse- 
crated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will 
little note, nor long remember, what we say here; but it can never for- 
get what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated 
here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far 
so nobly advanced. 

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining 
before us — that from these honoretl dead we take increased devotion 
to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — 
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in 
vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom 
— and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, 
shall not perish from the earth.'" 




Abraham Lincoln 
1609 - 1865 



ULYS5ES S.CRAMt' 

1 822.- 1685 



CopyiieUt. 1900, by J. 1.. Ni-hols & Co. 



GIANTS or Tin; ri:i'i.i;lic 



CHAPTER XVII. 

GENERAL U. S. GRANT. 

General W. T. Sherman tells us how near General Grant came 
leaving the army soon after the battle of Corinth, Miss., which was 
fought April 6 and 7 in the year 1S62: 

"A short time before leaving Corinth I rode from my camp to General 
Halleck's headquarters, then in tents just outside of the town, where 
we sat and gossiped for some time, when he mentioned to me casually 
that General Grant was going away the next morning. 

"I inquired the cause, and he said he did not know, but that Grant 
had applied for a thirty days' leave, which had been given him. Of 
course we all knew he was chafing under the slight of his anomalous 
position, and T determined to see him on my way back. His camp was 
a short distance off the Monterey road, in the woods, and consisted of 
four or five tents, with a sapling railing around the front. 

"As I rode up, Majors Rawlings, Lagow and Hilyer were in front at 
the camp, and piled up near them were the usual office and camp chests, 
all ready for a start in the morning. I inquired for the general, and 
was shown to his tent, where I found him seated on a camp stool, with 
papers on a rude camp table; he seemed to be employed in assorting 
letters, and tying them up with red tape into convenient bundles. 

"After passing the usual compliments, I inquired if it were true that 
he was going away. 

"He said, 'Yes.' I then inquired the reason, and he said: 

" 'Sherman, you know. You know that I am in the way here. I have 
stood it as long as I can, and can endure it no longer.' 

"I inquired where he was going to, and he said, 'St. Louis.' I then 
asked if he had any business there, and he said, 'not a bit.' I then 
begged him to stay, illustrating his case by ray own. 

"Before the battle of Shiloh, I had been cast down by a mere news- 
paper assertion of 'crazy;' but that single battle had given me new life, 
and now I was in high feather; and I argued with him that, if he 
went away, events would go right along, and he would be left out; 
whereas, if he remained, some happy accident might restore him to 
favor and his true place. 

231 



232 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND' LAND. 

"He certainly appreciated my friendly advice, and promised to wait 
awhile; at all events, not to go without seeing me again, or communi- 
cating with me. Very soon after this, I was ordered to Chewallo, 
where, on the 6th of June, I received a note from him, saying that he had 
reconsidered his intention and would remain. I cannot find the note, 
but my answer I have kept." 

A PICTURE OF GRANT. 

There is in existence a photograph of General Grant which is of 
pathetic interest. It was taken during the last winter of the war, while 
the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac were at City Point. 

The photogi'aph may have been instantaneous, for there is no ap- 
pearance of posing for it. Grant appears in the door of his tent with 
one arm raised, grasping the tent pole. 

He is in the simplest field uniform, the coat is unbuttoned, and he 
wears the soft hat with the twi-sted cord of the service. The face is thin 
and heavy with care, and the whole figure denotes self-forgetfulness, if 
not dejection. 

The utter absence of parade, the entire simplicity of the attitude, the 
rudeness of the surroundings, would advise no spectator that this was 
the iron commander of great armies, the man upon whom the hopes of 
the nation at that time centered. Upon his skill, coolness, tenacity, 
unshakable faith, millions reposed implicit trust. 

It was wearA' waiting; wealth was wasted in streams, debt was 
accumulating, foreign powers were threatening, treason was brewing, 
precious life was poured out like water, and the land was full of 
mourning. 

This general, silent, inflexible, stands there at his tent door, appar- 
ently unconscious of observation, not so much looking abroad as com- 
muning with himself, bearing in every line of his, face and figure the 
impress of the heaviest responsibility and of vicarious suffering. 

No note of complaint, no sign of relenting, no consciousness of the 
show of power, but just at that moment a patient endurance in his 
own wasted person for the woes of an anxious nation. 

Upon him, at that instant, rested greater responsibility than upon 
any other living man; upon him centered hopes, entreaties, prayers, 
curses, bitter criticism, brutal disparagement. 

He is in the attitude of bearing it all, with the capacity of suffering 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT. 233 

and of carrying the burdens of others without complaint, which is the 
mark of greatness. 

Perhaps if he had failed, perhaps if he had lost his cause and dis- 
appointed the hopes set upon him, this picture might to-day have been 
more utterly pathetic than it is, but remembering what the man had 
endured and was still to suffer before the final triumph of the people 
through him, this simple figure is not wanting in any of the heroic 
elements that touch the hearts of men. 

GRANT AND THE CHILD. 

At the surrender of Lee, said a surgeon at Erie, Pa., I was serving 
as medical director of the Second Division of the Twenty-Fifth Army 
Corps. After the surrender, the division was ordered to join the bal- 
ance of the corps near Petersburg, and we left Appomattox Court 
House on the 11th of April, following the South Side Railroad. 

The general commanding directed me to take an orderly and proceed 
to Prospect station, and there select a camping gi'ound for the division, 
and also a place to pitch our headquarters tents. I proceeded as 
directed, and after selecting a suitable camping ground, crossed the 
fields to a large white house near the station. 

As I rode up to the gate, a most venerable and noble-looking gen- 
tleman of probably sixty-five years came to the front gate, and I asked 
him if he would have any objection to our pitching headquarters in 
his yard. 

He said: "I should be very glad to have you do it, as it will be a 
protection against the stragglers of the army." He asked me to come 
in, but I told him I would prefer a seat on the veranda. 

Finding him to be a Methodist minister and a most polished gentle- 
man, I became interested in him, and we began at once to discuss the 
unfortunate division of the church in 1844, and then I switched off 
on the war. 

I asked him if he had ever seen Grant. 

"Yes," said he, "my house was full of your generals last night. 
There were Sheridan, Humphreys, Meade, Custer, Ord, and quite a 
number of others, and they were a lively set and full of fun, and all were 
quite jolly with the exception of one officer, whom I noticed sitting in 
a corner smoking and taking but little part in the sports in which the 
rest were engaged. 

"They all went out of the house but this solitary, silent man, and as 



234 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

I was going out he asked me where the pump was, as he would like to 
get a drink. 

"On offering to get him some water, he said: 

" 'No, sir, I am younger than you; I will go myself.' And as I passed 
oat he came up behind me. 

'•When in about the middle of the hall, my little granddaughter 
came toward me, but the silent mau, spreading out both arms, caught 
her, and taking her up, fairly smothered her with kisses, saying: 

" 'This reminds me of my little girl at home, and makes me home- 
sick.' 

"To the question, 'Where is your home?' he replied, 'Galena, 111. ; but 
I have my family at City Point, and am anxious to get back to them.' 

"I said, 'Will you permit me to ask your name, sir?' 

" 'Certainly, my name is Grant.' 

"'Grant,' exclaimed I, 'General Grant?' and I stood there, awe- 
struck and paralyzed with astonishment, while my heart went out after 
this man. 

"I thought to myself, Here is a man whose name is now in the mouth 
of man, woman and child throughout the civilized world, and yet withal 
he exhibits no emotion, and seems unconcerned and unmoved until the 
little child reminds him of his loved ones at home; and I fairly broke 
down, as General Grant had been pictured out to us as a bloody butcher, 
and I had looked for a man looking as savage as a Comanche Indian." 

IT WAS GENERAL GRANT. 

The late Professor Benjamin Pierce, long of Harvard College, and 
later at the head of the United States Coast Survey, was a man of the 
keenest intellect and soberest judgment. 

One evening, just after the close of the war, he was at an evening 
party in Washington, and was introduced to a quiet man whose name 
he did not catch, but he sat down beside him, and soon was engaged 
with him in a long and earnest talk. 

At the end of the evening he asked his host, "Who was that man to 
whom you introduced me? I didn't catch his name, but he seems to me 
the cleverest and solidest man I have met in years — a man of very great 
powers." 

"Why," said his host, "that was General Grant." 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT. 235 

GRANT AND LEE AT APPOMATTOX. 

General Horace Porter, who was an aide of General Grant, draws 
the following contrast, in the Century Magazine, between Generals 
Grant and Lee at Appomattox: "The contrast between the two com- 
manders was very striking, and could not fail to attract marked atten- 
tion, as they sat ten feet apart, facing each other. General Grant, then 
nearly forty-three years of age, was five feet eight inches in height, with 
shoulders slightly stooped. His hair and full beard were a nut-brown, 
without a trace of gray in them. 

"He had on a single-brea.sted blouse made of dark blue flannel, un- 
buttoned in front, and showing a waistcoat underneath. He wore an 
ordinary pair of top boots, with his trousers inside, and was without 
spurs. The boots and portions of his clothes were spattered with mud. 

"He had on a pair of thread gloves of a dark yellow color, which 
he had taken off on entering the room. His felt 'sugar-loaf stiff- 
brimmed hat was thrown on a table beside him. He had no sword, and 
a pair of shoulder straps was all there was about him to designate his 
rank. In fact, aside from these, his uniform was that of a private 
soldier. 

"Lee, on the other hand, was fully six feet in height, and quite erect 
for one of his age, for he was Grant's senior by sixteen years. His hair 
and full beard were a silver gray, and quite thick, except that the hair 
had become a little thin in front. He wore a new uniform of Confed- 
erate gray, buttoned up to the throat, and at his side he carried a long 
sword of exceedingly fine workmanship, the hilt studded with jewels. 
It was said to be the sword which had been presented to him by the 
State of Virginia. 

"His top boots were comparatively new, and seemed to have on them 
some ornamental stitching of red silk. Like his uniform, they were 
singularly clean, and but little travel-stained. On the boots were hand- 
some spurs, with large rowels. A felt hat, which in color matched 
pretty closely to that of his uniform, and a pair of long buckskin gaunt- 
lets lay beside him on the table. 

"We asked Colonel Marshall afterward how it was that both he and 
his chief wore such fine toggery, and looked so much as if they had 
just turned out to go to church, while with us our outward garb scarcely 
rose to the dignity even of the 'shabby-genteel.' 

"He enlightened us regarding the contrast by explaining that when 
their headquarters' wagons had been pressed so closely by our cavalry 



236 'SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

a few days before, and it was found they would have to destroy all their 
baggage except the clothes they carried on their backs, each one natu- 
rally selected the newest suit he had, and sought to propitiate the gods 
of destruction by a sacrifice of his second best." 

THE LAST DAYS OF GENERAL GRANT AT MOUNT McGREGOR, 

N. Y. 

All the world knows of the patient suffering of this great hero in 
the last months of his eventful life in the Drexel cottage on Mount 
McGregor. 

Here he wrote, with such patience and perseverance, the Memoirs 
which he gave to the world. Here, he wrote the remarkable letter to 
Dr. Douglas, his attendant physician, in Dr. Douglas' i)resence, on 
Thursday, July 2, 1885, as follows: 

RECONCILED TO HIS FATE. 

"I ask you not to .show this to any one, unless the physicians you 
consult with, until the end. Particularly, I want it kept from my 
family. If known to one man the papers will get it, and they (my 
family) will get it. 

"It would only distress them almost beyond endurance to know it, 
and by reflex would distress me. I have not changed my mind mate- 
rially since I wrote you before in the same strain. Now, however, I 
know that I gain strength some days, but when I do go back it is 
beyond where I started to improve. 

"I think the chances are very decidedly in favor of your being able 
to keep me alive until the change of weather, toward winter. Of 
course there are contingencies that might arise at any time that might 
carry me off vei*y suddenly. The most probable of these is choking. 
Under the circumstances life is not worth the living. 

"I am very thankful ("glad' was written, but scratched out and 
'thankful' substituted) to have been spared this long, because it has 
enabled me to practically complete the work in which I took so mucli 
interest. I cannot stir up strength enough to review it and make addi- 
tions and subtractions that would suggest themselves to me, and are not 
likely to suggest themselves to any one else. 

"Under the above circumstances, I will be the happiest, the most 
pain I can avoid. If there is to be any extraordinarj- cure, such as some 
people believe there is to be, it will develop it.self. I would say, there- 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT. 237 

fore, to you and your colleagues, to make me as comfortable as you 
can. 

"If it is within God's providence that I should go now, I am ready to 
obey His call without a murmur. I should prefer to go now to enduring 
my present suffering for a single day, without hope of recovery. 

"As I have stated, I am thankful for the providential extension of 
my time to enable me to continue my work. I am further thankful, 
and in a much greater degree thankful, because it has enabled me to 
see for myself the happy harmony which so suddenly sprung up be- 
tween those engaged, but a few short years ago, in deadly conflict. 

"It has been an inestimable blessing to me to hear the kind expres- 
sions toward me in person from all parts of our country, from people of 
all nationalities, of all religions, and of no religions; of Confederates 
and of national troops alike; of soldiers' organizations; of mechanical, 
scientific, religious and other societies, embracing almost every citizen 
in the land. They have brought jcy to my heart if they have not effected 
a cure. 

"So, to you and your colleagues I acknowledge my indebtedness for 
having brought me through the valley of the shadow of death to enable 
me to witness these things. 

"U. S. GEANT. 

"Mt. McGregor, N. Y., July 2." 

Fourteen hours before his death General Grant desired to lie down, 
which he had not done for more than ten months. 

The clock on the mantel pointed to eight minutes past 8 o'clock on 
the morning of July 23, 1885, when he breathed his last. At that 
moment Colonel Fred Grant stopped the clock, and ever since the 
pointer has not been moved. 

On the 8th day of August, 1885, General Grant was borne to his rest- 
ing place at Riverside, N. Y., on the banks of the Hudson River, amid 
solemn pomp and pageantry. The pall bearers were Admiral Worden, 
Mr. A. W. Drexel, Geo. W. Childs, Geo. Jones and Oliver Hoyt, with the 
Union generals, Sherman, Sheridan and Logan, and the Confederate 
generals, Johnston and Buckner. 

JAMES A. GARFIELD. 

In the gloom of the tragedy that closed the life of the noble Garfield 

we Americans must not forget that there are deeds of valor in his 

earlier life that entitle him to a place on the roll of heroes, aside from 

his presidency and martyr's death. 
16 



238 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

When the Civil War broke out he offered his services to his coun- 
try and they were at once accepted. He began his new life as lieuten- 
ant-colonel, but of the art and science of war he knew little. 

It was probably the only office he ever accepted without suitable 
qualifications. But he set himself to learn. With saw and plane he 
fashioned whole armies out of maple blocks, and with these wooden- 
headed, but thoroughly manageable, soldiers he mastered the whole 
range of infantry tactics. 

Garfield was now* thirty years of age. His regiment, the Forty- 
second Ohio, was ready for the field. Owing to Garfield's constant 
training, it had the reputation of being the best drilled regiment in 
Ohio, and in recognition of his faithful services he was made a full 
colonel. 

Orders came to report to Buel at Louisville. The regiment was to 
go for its baptism of fire. As Garfield took leave of his mother she 
quietly and patriotically said: 

"Go, my .sou, your life belongs to your country." 

The Confederate General, Humphrey Marshall, was moving in on 
eastern Kentucky. Buel laid the situation before Garfield and said: 

"Now, if you were in command of this sub-district what would you 
do? Report your answer here at nine o'clock to-mon-ow morning.'' 

Garfield studied the situation. At nine o'clock he laid his plan be- 
fore Buel, whose skilled eye mastered it in a moment. He was satisfied. 

"All right," he said, "proceed with the least possible delay, to the 
mouth of the Sandy, and move with your force in that vicinity up that 
river. Drive the enemy back or cut him off. I must commit all matters 
of detail, Colonel, to your discretion.'' 

Garfield had fifteen hundred men. Marshall had forty-six hundred, 
and they were entrenched. 

Three roads led out from Garfield's headquarters to where the enemy 
lay. Strategy must be made to make up for lack of men. 

Bradley Brown, a man Garfield had known on the Ohio canal, had 
been brought in by the pickets. He asked to see the colonel. 

Garfield received him, and said: 

"What, is this Brown; are you a rebel?" 

"Yes," said the visitor, "I belong to Marshall's force, and I've come 
straight from him to spy on your army." 

"Well, you have a queer way of going about it," said Garfield. 

"Well, you see, when I heard that you was in command down here, 
I determined, for old times' sake, to help ye." 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 239 

"I advise you to go back to Mar^Lall," said Garfield, "and tell him 
all about my strength and iutended movements." 

"But how kin I? I don't know a thing about it." 

"Guess," said Garfield. 

"You'd orter have ten thousand men to do anything against Mar- 
shall, I reckon." 

"That will do for a guess," said Garfield. "Now tell Marshall I shall 
attack in about ten days." 

Brown did as Garfield suggested, and Marshall awaited an attack in 
force. Garfield sent a detachment along each of the three roads, strong 
enough to drive in Marshall's outposts. 

One after another these Confedei*ate pickets came in to camp and 
reported that the Yankees were coming in large numbers. Marshall 
was puzzled. He did not know where to look for the attack, and, in his 
dilemma, withdrew with his whole force. Garfield quietly took 
possession. 

The whole thing was a huge practical joke; but one which the 
enemy would not appreciate. 

Garfield had showed himself a strategist of the first order. He had 
executed a plan that required boldness and dash, and had done himself 
the greatest credit. 

Garfield had gained a great advantage, but it must be followed up, 
despite the odds. 

Marshall took a new position on a semi-circular hill at the forks of 
Middle Creek. It was well chosen and supported by twelve pieces of 
artillery. But Garfield had been sent to cut Marshall off, or drive him 
out, and he prepared for the attack. 

Up one spur of the mountain he sent a detachment of Hiram Col- 
lege boys. Garfield on a rocky height watched the tide of battle. He 
saw that it was unequal, and that they would lose the hill if not 
supported. 

lustantly he sent five hundred men under Major Pardee to the 
rescue. Then turning to his staff, he asked: 

"Who will volunteer to carry the other mountain?" 

Colonel Munroe quickly stood forward. 

"Go in, then," cries Garfield, "and give them Hail Columbia!" 

From noon till dark the eleven hundred men under Garfield con- 
tended against overpowering odds. Alternate hopes and fears fill the 
heart of the Union commander. 

Suddenly a starry banner was seen waving over an advancing host. 



240 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

It was Seldon with reinforooments. Panic seized the enemy. The eleven 
hundred were fired by new energy, and with a final charge the day was 
won. 

Shortly after dark a bright light blazed up behind the hill of battle. 
It was the Confederate general's last fire. In it he consumed everything 
that would hinder flight or be of value to his foe, and by the light 
started with his troops for Pound Gap. 

Military writers have awarded Tiarfield great praise for the cam- 
paign. It was well planned and daringly executed. The victory at 
Middle Creek over an entrenched foe four times the number of his own 
is a feat unparalleled in the history of the war. 

The little army was victorious, but it had less than three days' 
supply of provisions, and the roads were impassable from mud. There 
was the river; but it was swollen with rain. 

What wa.s to be done? 

Garfield asked the advice of the ex-canal man Brown, who had again 
(Sought Garfield from Marshall's camp. 

"It's which and t'other. General Jim,'' he said, ''starvin' or drown- 
in'. I'd ruther drown 'n starve. So give the word, and, dead or alive, 
I'll git down the river.'" 

Garfield gave the word; but went with him on the perilous voyage. 
At the mouth of the river he found and took possession of a little 
steamer in the service of the quartermaster. She was loaded with pro- 
visions and headed up the stream. 

"We cannot make it," said the captain. But Garfield ordered the 
chicken-hearted fellow away and himself took the helm. 

The river surged and boiled. With every turn of the wheel the boat 
trembled from stem to stern. Three miles an hour was all they could 
make with all steam on. 

At night the captain begged to tie up till morning, but Brown cried 
out: 

"Put her ahead, General Jim," and he drove her on through the dark- 
ness. All night, all the next day and all the following night they strug- 
gled with the furious tide. 

The waiting men were wild with joy as the boat rounded into view 
of the Union camp. The one-time canal boy had saved the army from 
starvation. Tie had risked his life a dozen times, and but for his early 
experience on the Evening Star he would never have been able to bring 
the steamer up the foaming river. 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 241 

Of the whole forty-eight hours spent in climbing the Big Sandy, Gar- 
field had been absent from the wheel but eight hours. 

He was formed for a soldier's idol. 

Marshall disappeared in a shower of ridicule and sarcasm from both 
sides. Garfield was made Brigadier-General. 

The fortunes of war finally found him on that field of blood, glory 
and disaster at Chickamauga. Seventy thousand Confederates and 
fifty-five thousand Federal soldiers were massed against each other. 

It is said Garfield wrote every order on that field except that fatal 
one to Wood. That order lost the battle on the right. McCook's whole 
corps was fleeing, a horde of panic-stricken frightened soldiers, back 
towards Chattanooga. 

A tramping flood of human beings, reft of reason, caught the gen- 
eral and chief-of-staff in its rush. Garfield, dismounted, with his figure 
towering above the surging mass, snatching the colors from the flee- 
ing standard-bearer. 

The general hastily planted the staff in the ground. Seizing men 
to the right and left he faced them about and formed the nucleus of 
a stand. His ringing appeals made no impression on the dead ears 
of the unhearing men, reft of all human attributes save fear. 

A panic is a disease which nothing can stay. His exertions were 
vain. The moment he took his hands from a man he fled. The mad- 
dened crowd swept on. 

Garfield turned away to where the thunder of guns proclaimed the 
heart of the battle to beat fiercest. Almost alone he reached Thomas; 
informed him how he could withdraw his I'ight, form a new line and 
meet Longstreet. 

Thomas, the army, its honor were saved. As night closed on that 
awful day with the warm steam of blood from the ghastly wounded 
and recently killed rising from the burdened earth, Garfield still stood 
personally directing the loading and pointing of a battery that sent 
its shot crashing after the retiring foe. Thus closed the battle of 
Chickamauga. 

What was left of the Union army was left in possession of the field. 
Garfield hurried to Washington with dispatches. 

On his arrival he found himself a full major-general of volunteers — 
"for gallant and meritorious conduct at the battle of Chickamauga." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE BATTLES OF MISSIONARY RIDGE AND LOOKOUT MOUN- 
TAIN. 

These battles, in many particulars unequalled in the history of 
warfare, took place on the 2J:th and 25th of November, 1SG3. 

General Grant had been previously invested with the consolidated 
departments of the Cumberland, Ohio and Tennessee. On October 19, 
18G3, he left Louisville for Nashville, still suffering and lame from a 
fall from his frightened horse. The injuries he had received con- 
fined him to his bed for twenty days. Before starting he sent the fol- 
lowing dispatch to Thomas, "the rock of Chickamauga." 

"Ilold Chattanooga at all hazards. I will be there as soon as pos- 
sible." 

To which the grand old hero responded at once: 

"I will hold the town till we starve." 

B. F. Taylor, the eloquent writer of prose and poetry, graphically 
describes these battles as an eye witness, in language unsurpassed for 
thrilling effect: 

"The iron heart of Sherman's column began to be audible, like 
the fall of great trees in the depth of the forest, as it beat beyond 
the woods on the extreme left. Over roads indescribable, and con- 
quering lions of difficulties that met him all the way, he at length 
arrived with his command of the army of the Tennessee. 

"The roar of his guns was like the striking of a great clock, and 
grew nearer and louder as the morning wore away. 

"Along the center all was still. 

"Our men lay as they had lain since Tuesday night — motionless, 
behind the works. Generals Grant, Thomas, Granger, Meigs, Hunter, 
Reynolds, were grouped at Orchard Knob, here; Bragg, Breckinridge, 
Hardee, Stevens, Cleburn, Bates, Walker, were waiting on Mission 
Ridge, yonder. 

"And the Northern clock tolled on! 

"At noon a pair of steamers, screaming in the river across the town, 
telling over in their own wild way our mountain triumph on the right, 

242 



BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 243 

pierced the hushed breath of air between two lines of battle with a 
note or two of the music of peaceful life. 

"At one o'clock the signal flag at Fort Wood was a-flutter. Scan- 
ning the horizon, another flag, glancing like a lady's handkerchief, 
showed white across a field lying high and dry upon a ridge three 
miles to the northeast, and answered back. 

"The center and Sherman's corps had spoken. 

"As the hour went by all semblance to falling tree and tolling clock 
had vanished. It was a rattling roar; the ring of Sherman's panting 
artillery, and the fieiy gust from the Confederate guns on Tunnel Hill, 
the point of Mission Ridge. 

"The enemy had massed there the corps of Hardee and Buckner, as 
upon a battlement, utterly inaccessible save by one steep, naiTow way, 
commanded by their guns. 

"A thousand men could hold it against a host. 

"And right in front of this bold abutment of the ridge is a broad, 
clear field, skirted by woods. Across this tremendous threshold, up 
to death's door, moved Sherman's column. 

"Twice it advanced, and twice I saAV it swept back in bleeding lines 
before the furnace blast, until that russet field seemed some strange 
page ruled thick with blue and red. 

"But valor was in vain; they lacked the ground to stand on; they 
wanted, like the giant of old story, a touch of earth to make them 
strong. 

"It was the devil's own corner. 

"Before them was a lane, whose upper end the Confederate cannon 
swallowed. 

"Moving by the right flank, nature opposed them with precipitous 
heights. There was nothing for it but straight across the field, swept 
by an enfilading fire, and up to the lane down which drove the storm. 
They could unfold no broad front, and so the losses were less than 
seven hundred, that must othen\'ise have swelled to thousands. 

"The musketry fire was delivered with terrible emphasis. 

"Two dwellings, in one of which Federal wounded men were lying, 
set on fire by the Confederates, began to send up tall columns of 
smoke, streaked red with fire. The grand and the terrible were blended. 



"The brief November afternoon was half gone. It was yet thunder- 
ing on the left; along the center all was still. At that very hour a 



244 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

fierce assault was made upon the enemy's left, near Kossville, four 
miles down toward the old field of Chickamauga. 

"Thej carried the Ridge — Mission Ridge seems everywhere; they 
strewed its summit with Confederate dead; they held it. 

"And thus the tips of the Federal army's widespread wings fiapped 
grandly. But it had not swooped; the grey quarry yet perched upon 
Mission Ridge. The Confederate army was terribly battered at the 
edges; but there, full in our front, it grimly waited, biding out its time. 
If the horns of the rebel crescent could not be doubled crushingly 
together, in a shapeless mass, possibly it might be sundered in its 
center, and tumbled in fragments over the other side of Mission Ridge. 

"Sherman was halted upon the left; Hooker was holding hard in 
Chattanooga Valley; the Fourth Corps, that rounded out our center, 
grew impatient of restraint. The day was waning; but little time re- 
mained to complete the commanding general's grand design. 

"Gordon Granger's hour had come; his work was full before him, 

"And what a work that was, to make a weak man falter and a 
brave man think! 

"One and a-half miles to traverse, with narrow fringes of woods, 
rough valleys, sweeps of open field, rocky acclivities, to the base of 
the ridge, and no foot in all the breadth withdrawn from Confederate 
sight; no foot that could not be played upon by Confederate cannon, 
like a piano's keys under Thalberg's stormy fingers. 

"The base attained, what then? 

"A heavy Confederate work, packed with the enemy, rimming it 
like a battlement. 

"That work carried, and what then? 

"A hill, struggling up out of the valley four hundred feet, rained on 
by bullets, swept by shot and shell; another line of works, and then, 
up like a Gothic roof, rough with rocks, a wreck with fallen trees, 
four hundred more; another ring of fire and iron, and then the crest, 
and then the enemy. 

"To dream of such a journey would be madness; to devise it a thing 
incredible; to do it a deed impossible. But Grant was guilty of them 
all, and Granger was equal to the work. The story of the battle of Mis- 
sion Ridge is struck with immortality already; let the leader of the 
Fourth Corps bear it company. 

"That the center yet lies along its silent line is still true; in five 
minutes it will be the wildest fiction. Let us take that little breath 



BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 245 

of grace for just one glance at the surroundings, since we shall have 
neither heart nor eyes for it again. 

"Did ever battle have so vast a cloud of witnesses? The hive- 
shape<l hills have swarmed. Clustered like bees, blackening the house- 
tops, lining the fortifications, over yonder across the theater, in the 
seats with the Catilines, everywhere, are a hundred thousand behold- 
ers. 

"Their souls are in their eyes. Not a murmur can you hear. 

"It is the most solemn congregation that ever stood up in the pres- 
ence of the God of battles. I think of Bunker Hill, as I stand here — 
of the thousands who witnessed the immoi'tal struggle — and fancy 
there is a parallel. 

"I think, too, that the chair of every man of them will stand vacant 
against the wall to-morrow, and that around the fireside they must 
give thanks without him, if they can. 

"At half-past three, a group of generals, whose names will need 
no 'Old Mortality' to chisel them anew, stood upon Orchard Knob. 

"The hero of Vicksburg was there, calm, clear, persistent, far-seeing. 
Thomas, the sterling and sturdy; Meigs, Hunter, Granger, Rej'nolds. 

"Clusters of humbler mortals were there, too, but it was anything 
but a turbulent crowd; the voice naturally fell into a subdued tone, 
and even young faces took on the gravity of later years. 

"Generals Grant, Thomas and Granger conferred, an order was 
given, and in an instant the Knob was cleared like a ship's deck for 
action. 

"At twenty minutes of four Granger stood upon the parapet. The 
bugle swung idle at the bugler's side, the warbling fife and the grumb- 
ling drum unheard ; there was to be louder talk — six guns at intervals 
of two seconds, the signal to advance. 

"Strong and steady his voice rang out: 

"'Number one, fire! Number two, fire! Number three, fire!' 

"It seemed to me the tolling of the clock of destiny. 

"And when, at 'Number six, fire!' the roar throbbed out with the 
flash, you should have seen the dead line that had been lying behind 
the works all day, all night, all day, again, come to resurrection in the 
twinkling of an eye, leap like a blade from its scabbard, and sweep 
with a two-mile stroke toward the ridge. From divisions to brigades, 
from brigades to regiments, the order ran. 

"A minute and the skirmishers deploy; a minute, and the first great 



246 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

drops begin to patter along the line; a minute, and the musketry is 
in full play, like the crackling whips of a hemlock fire. 

"Men go down here and there before your eyes. 

''The wind lifts the smoke, and drifts it away over the top of the 
Ridge. Everything is too distinct; it is fairly palpable; you can touch 
it with your hand. The divisions of Wood and Sheridan are wading 
breast deep in the valley of death. 

''I never can tell you what it was like. 

"They pushed out, leaving nothing behind them. There was no 
reservation in that battle. On moves the line of skirmishers, like a 
heavy frown, and after it, at quick time, the splendid columns. At 
right of us and left of us and front of us, you can see the bayonets glit- 
ter in the sun. You cannot persuade yourself that Bragg was wrong, 
a day or two ago, when, seeing Hooker moving in, he said, 

*' 'Now we shall have a Potomac review.' 

"But this is not the parade he prophesied. It is of a truth the 
harvest of death to which they go down. 

"And so through the fringe of woods went the line. Now out into 
the open ground they burst at the double-quick. Shall I call it a Sab- 
bath day's journey, or a long one and a-half mile? To me that watched 
it seemed endless as eternity; and yet they made it in thirty minutes. 

"The tempest that now broke upon their heads was terrible. 

"The enemy's fire burst out of the rifle-pits from base to summit of 
Mission Ridge; five Confederate batteries of Parrotts and Napoleons 
opened along the crest. Grape and canister, and shot and shell sowed 
the ground with rugged iron, and garnished it with the wounded and 
the dead. 

"But steady and strong our columns moved on. 

" 'By heaven! it was a splendid sight to see, 
For one who had no friend, no brother there;' 

but to all loyal hearts — alas! and thank God — those men were friend 
and brother, both in one. 

"And over their heads as they went. Forts Wood and Negley struck 
straight out, like mighty pugilists, right and left, raining their iron 
blows upon the Ridge from base to crest; Forts Palmer and King took 
up the quarrel, and Moccasin Point cracked its fiery whips, and lashed 
the Confederate left, till the wolf cowered in its corner with a growl. 

''Bridge's battery, from Orchard Knob below, thrust its ponderous 
fists in the face of the enemy, and planted blows at will. Our artil- 



BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 247 

lery was doing splendid service. It laid its shot and shell wherever 
it pleased. Had giants carried them bj hand they could hardly have 
been more accurate. 

"All along the mountain's side, in the Confederate rifle-pits, on the 
crest, they fairly dotted the Ridge. 

"General Granger leaped down, sighted a gun, and in a moment, 
right in front, a great volume of smoke, like 'the cloud by day,' lifted 
off the summit from among the Confederate batteries, and hung mo- 
tionless, kindling in the sun. The shot had struck a caisson, and that 
was its dying breath. In five minutes away floated another. A shell 
went crashing through a building in the cluster that marked Bragg's 
headquarters; a second killed the skeleton horses of a battery at his 
elbow; a third scattered a grey mass as if it had been a wasp's nest. 

"And all the while our lines were moving on. 

"They had burned through the woods and swept over the rough 
and rolling ground like a prairie fire. Never halting, never faltering, 
they charged up to the first rifle-pits with a cheer, forked out the Con- 
fedei-ates with their bayonets, and lay there panting for breath. If 
the thunder of guns had been terrible, it was now growing sublime; 
it was like the footfall of God on the ledges of cloud. 

"Our forts and batteries still thrust out their mighty arms across 
the valley. The Confederate guns that lined the arc of the crest full in 
our front, opened like the fan of Lucifer, and converged their fire 
down upon Baird, and Wood, and Sheridan. 

"It was rifles and musketry; it was grape and canister; it was shell 
and shrapnel. 

"Mission Ridge was volcanic; a thousand torrents of red poured 
over its brink, and rushed together to its base. 

"And our men were there, halting for breath! 

"And still the sublime diapason rolled on. Echoes that never waked 
before, roared out from height to height, and called from the far ranges 
of Waldron's Ridge to Lookout. As for Mission Ridge, it had jarred 
to such music before; it was the 'sounding board' of Chickamauga. 

"It was behind us then; it frowns and flashes in our face to-day. 
The old army of the Cumberland was there. It breasted the storm 
till the storm was spent, and left the ground it held. 

"The old army of the Cumberland is here. 

"It shall roll up the Ridge like a surge to its summit, and sweep 
triumphant down the other side. Believe me, that memory and hope 
may have made many a blue-coat beat like a drum. 



248 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

" 'Beat,' did I say? The feverish heart of the battle beats on; fifty- 
eight guns a minute, by the watch, is the rate of its terrible throbbing. 
That hill, if you climb it, will appal you. Furrowed like a summer 
fallow, bullets as if an oak had shed them; trees clipped and shorn, 
leaf and limb, as with the knife of some heroic gardener pruning back 
for richer fruit. 

"How you attain the summit, weary and breathless, I wait to hear; 
how they went up in the teeth of the storm, no man can tell. 

"And all the while Confederate prisoners have been streaming out 
from the rear of our lines like the tails of a cloud of kites. Captured 
and disarmed, they needed nobody to set them going. The fire of their 
own comrades was like spurs in a horse's flanks, and, amid the tem- 
pest of their own brewing, they ran for dear life, until they dropped 
like quails into the Federal rifle-pits and were safe. 

"But our gallant legions are out in the storm; they have carried 
the works at the base of the Kidge; they have fallen like leaves in 
winter weather. 

"Blow, dumb bugles! 

"Sound the recall I 'Take the rifle-pit!' was the order; and it is as 
empty of Confederates as the tomb of the prophets. Shall they turn 
their backs to the blast? Shall they sit down under the eaves of that 
dripping iron? Or shall they climb to the cloud of death above them, 
and pluck out its lightnings as they would straws from a sheaf of 
wheat? 

"But the order was not given. And now the arc of fire on the crest 
grows fiercer and longer. The reconnoissance of Monday had failed 
to develop the heavy metal of the enemy. The dull fringe of the hill 
kindles with the flash of great guns. 

"I count the fleeces of white smoke that dot the Ridge, as battery 
after battery opens upon our line, until from the ends of the growing 
arc they sweep down upon it in mighty X's of fire. I count till that 
devil's girdle numbers thirteen batteries, and my heart cries out, 

" 'Great God, when shall the end be?' 

"There is a poem I learned in childhood, and so did you; it is Camp- 
bell's 'Hohenlinden.' One line I never knew the meaning of until I 
read it written along that hill! It has lighted up the whole poem 
for me with the glow of the battle forever: 

" 'And louder than the bolts of heaven, 
Far flashed the red artillerv.' 



BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 249 

"At this moment, General Granger's aids are dashing out with an 
order. They radiate over the field, to left, right and front. 

" 'Take the Ridge, if vou can!' 'Take the Eidge if you can!' 

"And so it went along the line. But the advance had already set 
forth without it. Stout-hearted Wood, the iron-grey veteran, is rally- 
ing on his men; stormy Turchin is delivering brave words in bad Eng- 
lish; Sheridan — 'Little Phil' — you may easily look down upon him with- 
out climbing a tree, and see one of the most gallant leaders of the age 
if you do — is riding to and fro along the first line of rifle pits, as calmly 
as a chess player. 

"An aid rides up with the order. 'Avery, that flask,' said the Gen- 
eral. 

"Quietly filling the pewter cup, Sheridan looks up at the battery 
that frowns above him, by Bragg's headquarters, shakes his cap amid 
that storm of everything that kills, when you could hardly hold your 
hand without catching a bullet in it, and, with a 'How are you?' tosses 
off the cup. 

"The blue battle-flag of the Confederates fluttered a response to the 
cool salute, and the next instant the battery let fly its six guns, show- 
ering Sheridan with earth. 

"Alluding to that compliment with anything but a blank cartridge, 
the General said to me, in his quiet way, 'I thought it ungenerous!' 

"The recording angel will drop a tear upon the word for the part 
he played that day. 

"Wheeling toward the men, he cheered them to the charge, and made 
at the hill like a bold riding hunter. They were out of the rifle-pits 
and into the tempest, and struggling up the steep, before you could 
get breath to tell it; and so they were throughout the inspired line. 

"And now you have before you one of the most startling episodes 
of the war. I cannot render it in words; dictionaries are beggarly 
things. But I may tell you they did not storm that mountain as you 
would think. 

"They dash out a little way, and then slacken; they creep up, hand 
over hand, loading and firing, and wavering and halting, from the 
first line of works to the second; they burst into a charge with a cheer, 
and go over it. 

"Sheets of fiame baptize them; plunging shot tear away comrades 
on left and right; it is no longer shoulder to shoulder, it is God for 
us all! 

"Under tree trunks, among rocks, stumbling over the dead, strug- 



250 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

gling with the living, facing the steady fire of eight thousand infantry 
poured down upon their heads as if it were the old historic curse from 
heaven, they wrestle with the Ridge. 

"Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes go by, like a reluctant century. The 
batteries roll like a drum. Between the second and last lines of rebel 
works is the torrid zone of the battle. The hill sways up like a wall 
before them at an angle of forty-five degrees, but our brave mountain- 
eers are clambering steadily on — up — upward still! 

"You may think it strange, but I would not have recalled them if 
I could. They would have lifted you, as they did me, in full view of 
the heroic grandeur. They seemed to be spurning the dull earth un- 
der their feet, and going up to do Homeric battle with the greater gods. 

"And what do those men follow? 

"If you look, you shall see that the thirteen thousand are not a 
rushing herd of human creatures; that, along the Gothic roof of the 
Ridge, a row of inverted Vs is slowly moving up almost in line, a 
mighty lettering on the hill's broad side. 

"At the angles of those Vs is something that glitters like a wing. 

"Your heart gives a great bound when you think what it is — the 
regimental flag — and, glancing along the front, count fifteen of those 
colors, that were borne at Pea Ridge, waved at Shiloh, glorified at 
Stone River, riddled at Chickamauga. Nobler than Caesar's rent mantle 
are they all! 

"And up move the banners, now fluttering like a wounded bird, 
now faltering, now sinking out of sight. Three times the flag of one 
regiment goes down. And you know why. Three dead color sergeants 
lie just there. 

"But the flag is immortal, thank God! and up it comes again, and 
the Vs move on. 

"At the left of Wood, three regiments of Baird — Turchin, the Rus- 
sian thunderbolt, is there — hurl themselves against a bold point strong 
with Confederate works. For a long quarter of an hour three flags 
are perched and motionless on a plateau under the frown of the hill. 

"Will they linger forever? 

"I give a look at the sun behind me; it is not more than a hand's 
breadth from the edge of the mountain; its level rays bridge the val- 
ley from Chattanooga to the Ridge with beams of gold; it shines in the 
Confederate faces; it brings out the Federal blue; it touches up the flags, 

"Oh, for the voice that could bid that sun stand still! 



BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 251 

"I turn to the battle again; those three flags have taken flight! 
They are upward bound. 

"The race of the flags is growing every moment more terrible. 
There, at the right, a strange thing catches the eye; one of the inverted 
V's is turning right side up. The men struggling along the converg- 
ing lines to overtake the flag, have distanced it, and there the colors 
are, sinking down in the center between the rising flanks. 

"The line wavers like a great billow, and up comes the banner again, 
as if heaved on a surge's shoulder. The iron sledges beat on. Hearts 
loyal and brave are on the anvil, all the way from base to summit of 
Mission Ridge, but those dreadful hammers never intermit. 

"Swarms of bullets sweep the hill; you can count twenty-eight balls 
in one little tree. Things are growing desperate up aloft. 

"The Confederates tumble rocks upon the rising line; they light 
the fuses and roll shells down the steep; they load the guns with hand- 
fuls of cartridges in their haste; and, as if there were powder in the 
word, they shout, 'Chickamauga!' down upon the mountaineers. 

"But it would not all do; and just as the sun, weary of the scene, 
was sinking out of sight, with magnificent bursts all along the line, 
exactly as you have seen the crested seas leap up at the breakwater, 
the advance surged over the crest, and in a minute those flags fluttered 
along the fringe where fifty Confederate guns were kennelled. 

"God bless the flag! God save the Union! 

"What colors were first upon the mountain battlement I dare not 
try to say; bright honor itself may be proud to bear — nay, proud to 
follow, the hindmost. Foot by foot they had fought up the steep, 
slippery with much blood; let them go to glory together. 

"A minute, and they were all there, fluttering along the Ridge from 
left to right. 

"The Confederate hordes rolled off to the north, rolled off to the 
east, like the clouds of a worn-out storm. Bragg, ten minutes before, 
was putting men back in the rifle-pits. His gallant grey was strain- 
ing a nerve for him now, and the man rode on horseback into Dixie's 
bosom, who, arrayed in some prophet's discarded mantle, foretold 
on Monday that the Yankees would leave Chattanooga in five days. 

"They left in three, and by way of Mission Ridge, straight over 
the mountains as their forefathers went! 

"As Sheridan rode up to the guns the heels of Breckinridge's horses 
glittered in the last rays of sunshine. That crest was hardly 'well 
off with the old love before it was on with the new!' 



252 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

"But the scene on the narrow plateau can never be painted. 
"As the blue-coats surged over its edge, cheer on cheer rang like 
bells through the valley of the Chickamauga. Men flung themselves 
exhausted upon the ground. They laughed and wept, shook hands, 
and embraced; turned round, and did all four over again. 
"It was as wild as a carnival. 

"Granger was received with a shout. 'Soldiers,' he said, 'you ought 
to be court-martialed, every man of you. I ordered you to take the 
rifle-pits, and you scaled the mountain!' 

"But it was not Mar's horrid front exactly with which he said it, 
for his cheeks were wet with tears as honest as the blood that reddened 
all the route. 

"Wood uttere<l words that rang like Napoleon's; and Sheridan, the 
rowels at his horse's flanks, was ready for a dash down the Ridge, with 
a 'view halloo,' for a fox hunt. 

"But you must not think this was all there was of the scene on the 
crest, for fight and frolic were straugely mingled. Not a Confederate 
had dreamed a man of us all would live to reach the summit; and when a 
little wave of the Federal cheer rolled up and broke over the crest, 
they defiantly cried: 

" 'Iluri'ah, and be !' 

"The next minute a Union regiment followed the voice, the Confed- 
erates delivered their fire, and tumbled down in the rifle-pits, their 
faces distorted with fear. 

"No sooner had the soldiers scrambled to the Eidge and straightened 
themselves than up muskets and away they blazed. One of them, 
fairly beside himself between laughing and crying, seemed puzzled at 
which end of the piece he should load, and so, abandoning the gun 
and the problem together, he made a catapult of himself, and fell to 
hurling stones after the enemy. 

"And he said, as he threw — Well, you know our 'army swore ter- 
ribly in Flanders.' 

"Bayonets glinted and muskets rattled. General Sheridan's horse 
was killed under him. Richard was not in his role, and so he leaped 
upon a Confederate gun for want of another. 

"Confederate artillerists are driven from their batteries at the edge 
of the sword and the point of the bayonet. Two Confederate guns are 
swung around upon their old masters. But there is nobody to load 
them. Light and heavy artillery do not belong to the winged king- 
dom. 



BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 253 

"Two infantry men, claiming to be old artillerists, volunteer. 
Granger turns captain of the guns and — 'right about wheel!' — in a mom- 
ent they are growling after the flying enemy. I say 'flying,' but that is 
figurative. The many run like Spanish merinos, but the few fight like 
grey wolves at bay; they load and fire as they retreat; they are faii'ly 
scorched out of position. 

"A sharpshooter, fancying Granger to be worth the powder, coolly 
tried his hand at him. The General hears the zip of a ball at one ear, 
but doesn't mind it. In a minute, away it sings at the other. 

"He takes the hint, sweeps with his glass the direction whence the 
couple came, and brings up the marksman, just drawing a bead upon 
him again. 

"At that instant a Federal argument persuades the cool hunter 
and down he goes. That long-range gun of his was captured, weighed 
twenty-four pounds, was telescope-mounted, a sort of mongrel howitzer. 

"A colonel is slashing away with his sabre in a ring of Confeder- 
ates. Down goes his horse under him. They have him on the hip. 
One of them is taking deliberate aim, when up rushes a lieutenant, 

claps a pistol to one ear, and roars in at the other, 'who the are 

you shooting at?' 

"The fellow drops his piece, gasps out, 'T surrender!' and the next 
instant the gallant lieutenant falls sharply wounded. 

"He is a 'roll of honor' officer, straight up from the ranks, and he 
honors the roll. 

"A little German in Wood's division is pierced like the lid of a 
pepper-box, but he is neither dead nor wounded. 

" 'See here,' he says, rushing up to a comrade; 'a pullet hit te preach 
of mine gun, a pullet in mine pocketbook, a pullet in mine coat-tail; 
dey shoots me tree, five time, and I gives dem 3'et!' 

"But I can render you no idea of the battle cauldron that boiled 
on the plateau. An incident here and there I have given you, and 
you must fill out the picture for yourself. 

"Dead Confederates lay thick around Bragg's headquarters and 
along the Ridge. Scabbards, broken arms, artillery horses, wrecks 
of gun-carriages, and bloody garments strewed the scene. 

"And, tread lightly, oh, loyal-hearted! the boys in blue are lying 
there. 

"No more the sounding charge; no more the brave, wild cheer; 

and never for them, sweet as the breath of the new-mown hay in the 

old home fields, 'The Soldier's Beturn from the War.' 
17 



254 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

"A little waif of a drummer-boy, somehow drifted up the mountain 
in the surge, lies there; his pale fate upward, a blue spot on his breast. 
Muffle his drum for the poor child and his mother. 

"Our troops met one loyal wekome on the height. How the old 
Tennesseean that gave it managed to get there, nobody knows; but 
there he was, gra.sping a colonel's hand, and saying, while the tears 
ran down his face, 

"'God be thanked! I knew the Yankees would fight!' 

"With the receding fight and swift pursuit, the battle died away 
in murmurs, far down the valley of the Chickamauga. Sheridan was 
again in the saddle, and, with his command, spurred on after the enemy. 
Tall columns of smoke were rising at the left. The Confederates were 
burning a train of stores a mile long. In the exploding Confederate 
caissons we had 'the cloud by day,' and now we are having 'the pillar 
of fire by night.' 

"The sun, the golden disc of the scales that balance day and night, 
had hardly gone down, when up, beyond Mission Ridge, rose the silver 
side, for that night it was full moon. 

"The troubled day was gone. 

"A Federal general sat in the seat of the man who, on the very Sat- 
urday before the battle, had sent a flag to the Federal lines with the 
words: 

" 'Humanity would dictate the removal of all non-combatants from 
Chattanooga, as I am about to shell the city!' " 

Colonel McKinstrj-, of General Bragg's staff, told James Grant Wil- 
son that he considered their position perfectly impregnable, and that 
when he saw our troops, after capturing the rifle-pits coming up the 
craggy mountain side, bristling with bayonets and hundreds of can- 
non, he could scarcely credit his eyes, and thought every man of them • 
must be drunk. 

History has no parallel for sublimity and picturesqueness of effect; 
while the consequences, which was the division of the Confederacy, 
were inestimable. 

Grant announced his great victory in the following brief and mod- 
est dispatch to the General-in-chief of the army at Washington: 

"Although the battle lasted from early dawn until dark this even- 
ing, I believe I am not premature in announcing a complete victory 
over Bragg. Lookout ]Mountain-top, and all the rifle-pits in Chatta- 
nooga valley and ^Missionary Ridge entire have been carried, and are 
now held by us." 



STATISTICS OF THE CIVIL IfAR. 255 

STATISTICS OF THE CIVIL WAK FROM 18G1 TO 1865. 
As compiled by Mr. Kirkley, War Department Statistician. 

Fifth New Hampshire, 295 killed out of 321. 

Eighty-Third Peunsylvaiiia, three colonels, 285 killed out of 373. 

Fifth Michigan, 203 killed out of 398. 

Twelfth Massachusetts, 2G0 killed out of 427. 

First Minnesota went in at Gettysburg with 284 men, left the field 
with 5. General Hancock threw them in a gap to stop Herd from taking 
Little Eound Top. 

The Twenty-Sixth North Carolina (Confederate) went into Gettys- 
burg with 800 men, came out with 92. Captain Baird led 34 of the 92 
into action July 3d, left all on the field, bringing off the colors himself, 
having his right arm shattered. 

Sixth Alabama (Confederate) lost 367 out of 632. 

Fourth North Carolina (Confederate), lost 369 out of 678. 

First South Carolina (Confederate) lost 319 out of 537. 

Union losses at Cold Harbor, June 3d, 1864, 10,058 killed, wounded 
and missing in 55 minutes. Losses in the Battle of the Wilderness 
from May 5th to 21st, 39,259, of which number 4,532 were killed, 18,145 
wounded; missing, 16,583. 

Confederate losses during the same time were 27,473, of which num- 
ber 7,392 were killed. 

FORCES AT GETTYSBURG. 

Union forces, 82,000 and 300 guns. 

Confederate forces, 78,000 and 250 guns. 

Union losses, 23,003. 

Confederate losses, 27,448. 

Grant's forces in Wilderness campaign were 92,260. Lee's were 
78,627. 

At Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864, the fighting at "bloody angle" was 
so fierce that an oak tree 18 inches in diameter was cut in two with 
musket balls. This is where General Hancock captured General John- 
son and Doyle's division intact without the loss of a company, turning 
Lee's right, wounding Generals Longstreet and Anderson, Lee taking 
command in person. The Second Corps was under fire 23 consecutive 
hours without food or drink. 



256 



SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 



UNION LOSSEt^ FKOxM ALL CAUSES. 



Officers. 

Killed G,365 

Disease 2,712 

lu Confederate prisons 83 

Accidents 142 

Drowning 106 

Sunstroke 5 

Mui-der 37 

Killed after capture 14 

Suicide 26 

Military execution 

Executed by enemy 4 

Causes unknown but unclassified. . . 62 

Causes not stated 28 

9,584 

Major Generals 14 

Brigadier Generals 22 

Brevet Brigadier Generals 23 



Men. 


Total. 


103,705 


110,070 


197,003 


199,720 


24,783 


24,866 


3,972 


4,114 


4,838 


4,944 


308 


313 


483 


520 


90 


104 


363 


391 


267 


267 


60 


64 


1,972 


2,034 


12,093 


12,121 



349,944 



359,528 



Confederate losses: Men, 219,410. 




LEADINC; GESERALS WHO COMMANDED INSURGENT FORCES IN CCnA. 




MILITARY HEROES IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN AND PHILIPPINE W AkS 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE GALLANT FIGHT AT GUANTANAMO BAY. 

The question of "the first landing of American troops on Cuban soil" 
is liable to provoke no little amount of discussion in the future. It is 
therefore necessary to keep clearly in mind the fact that before the army 
of invasion came to Cuba, a few soldiers of the regular army landed 
at Arbolitos Point and had an encounter with the Spaniards, in connec- 
tion with the effort to land supplies from the Gussie. It was also before 
the coming of the great army that six hundred American marines were 
landed at Fisherman's Point on the Bay of Guantanamo, and when 
Shaffer's troops came, the landing of a very few men was accomplished 
on June 20th, while the main force was not landed at Daiquiri until 
June 23d. 

The little force of marines which landed on the 10th of June must 
ever be honored as the first to raise the American flag to a permanent 
place on Cuban soil, although it had been temporarily placed on a block 
house at Diana Bay near Cardenas by the gallant Ensign Arthur L. 
Willard of the United States navy, on the 11th of May. 

The camp of the marines was called McCalla in honor of the com- 
mander of the Marblehead, and it stood on the crest of a hill, while just 
back of it a smaller elevation of land sloped down into a deep ravine. 
Beyond the ravine was a mountain on the side of which a mule path 
was the only visible trail. All sides of the camp except that towards 
the sea, were surrounded with trees interlaced with vines and crowded 
with thickets of underbush. 

When the flag was first hoisted, the camp was assailed by Spanish 
sharpshooters, who were hidden in the bush. The invaders replie<l 
promptly, although the foe could not be seen, and some of our men fell 
before the fatal Mauser bullets. The fusillade was kept up for an hour 
or more and then the foe retired. 

Previous to the landing of the little force the region had been swept 
by the shells of the Marblehead without disclosing any body of the 
enemy, and her powerful searchlight, which played over the trees by 
night, revealed no signs of watchful Spaniards. After the first fighting, 
the men on guard sometimes reported the noise of crackling underbrush, 
and on the evening of the 10th there seemed to be a slight movement 

257 



258 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

on the mountain side, but otiier tlian these suspicious circumstances, 
there was, for the time being, no sign of the stealthy foe. 

Having partially established their camp, many of the men obtained 
permission for a swim in the cool waters of the bay, on the afternoon 
of the 11th. While they were away, a Cuban carried th'e news to canij) 
that hundreds of Spaniards were in the woods stealing up toward the 
hill to make an attack in Indian fashion, without warning and without 
mercy; it was to be a massacre if possible of the marines which were 
left in camp. 

The report was not fully credited, but Colonel Huntington, who was 
in command, detailed Lieutenant Neville with ten men to skirmish in 
one direction, while Lieutenant Mahoney, with another small force, 
searched the ground at the right of the hill. The men had scarcely 
started out when Spanish sharpshooters began firing on the sentinels 
at the outpost of the camp. The Americans replied to the shots, and 
the scouting parties closed in upon the scene of action. 

The Colonel's orders came thick and fast, while, on hearing the shots, 
a line of naked men came running up from the beach, and, snatching 
their guns as they ran, fell quickly into the semi-circle which Hunt- 
ington was forming behind the brow of the hill. There was no mark 
to shoot at, as the enemy was hidden in the dense undergrowth, but 
the firing was regular and cool as if the men were at drill practice. 

When the order was given to shoot, the bullets were sent into the 
waving bushes where the Spaniards were supposed to be lurking. As 
this proceeding failed to develop any body of foemen, the order was 
given to charge down the hill, and down the hill the brave boys Avent 
towards the unseen enemy, the naked men going through the brush with- 
out flinching, although the thorns were piercing their feet and lacerating 
their flesh at every step. 

Swarms of hungry insects swooped down upon them as they stood 
with the others holding the line at the foot of the hill after the charge 
was over. Their bodies were black with gnats and mosquitoes, while 
the spines of the cactus had even torn through the clothing of the men 
who were dressed, but they held their position until it was found that 
the Spaniards had fled, and then they were ordered back to dress. 

A detachment of men fully dressed were sent into the brush to sup- 
port Captain Neville, who had succeeded in finding a small party of 
Spaniards. The Americans were confident that a few of the enemy 
were struck, but the Spaniards made good their escape, being sure of 
the ground, and knowing every bypath in the woods. They left several 



LAS GU AS I MAS. 259 

articles in tlieir flight, including a regimental flag and a field glass. 
None of the marines was killed in this skirmish, and the only wounds 
were those made by the thorns and the cruel spines of the cactus; but 
Neville's men kept up the fight all night, the returned Spaniards being 
all around them the most of the time, and three days later there was 
another demand upon their courage and persistence. 

On the morning of the 14th, three expeditions were sent out from 
the little fort, the main body under Captain Elliott including eighty 
Cubans. By careful management Elliott hemmed in a large body of 
Spaniards to the south of him, while Mahoney attacked them from the 
west and the Dolphin threw shells from the sea a thousand yards away. 
The Spaniards had been driven to the crest of a large hill and a few 
shells from the Dolphin which exploded in their midst produced a panic 
by killing and wounding many of their number. 

Seeing their comrades falling on every side they had no courage to 
resist the gallant charge of Elliott's men, which routed them, and they 
fled down the hill into the brush, leaving behind them on the field about 
a hundred of their dead, besides a great number of Mauser rifles and 
several thousand rounds of ammunition. The little invading force 
had shown courage worthy of their colors, and although many were 
wounded and Dr. Gibbs, the faithful surgeon, had lost his life, still the 
list of the dead was small. 

In this engagement, as in others, the newspaper men showed their 
pluck and patriotism. Such men as H. J. Whigham of the Chicago 
Tribune, H. Billman of the Chicago Record, with Ralph Paine, also of 
the Tribune, Stephen Crane and others, rendered eflicient service. They 
not only helped to carry supplies to cami>, when the landing was made, 
but they also worked on the intrenchments and even took part in the 
fighting. 

Camp McCalla was in an exposed position, and the Spaniards could 
have massacred nearly all the men had they but known how small the 
fighting force was, for it is claimed that they had three thousand soldiers 
very near them. It was necessary, however, to hold a position either 
there, or in the immediate vicinity, in order to secure the cable station, 
and bravely the little force stood its ground. 

LAS GUASIMAS. 

The cavalry division was the first to land on Cuban soil, after the 
Engineer and Signal Corps; the artillery and siege guns were among 



260 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

the last. No time was lost in pushing forward, and June 23d found Gen- 
eral Joe Wheeler, with his cavalry division, established at Siboney, and 
General Lawton not far behind him. 

The occupation of this new base gave General Shafter a chance to 
disembark a part of his force at a point some six or seven miles nearer 
Santiago, of which he promptly availed himself. 

On the 24th, General Wheeler, who was senior officer ashore, ordered 
General Young to reconnoiter General Rubin's position near Sevilla, 
on the road to Santiago. Two roads run out from Siboney, towards the 
capital of the province, joining at Las Guasimas. Along one of these 
roads General Young sent the 1st and 10th Cavalry with a battery of 
light artillery; along the other, the regiment of Rough Riders. Gen- 
eral Castillo was to have joined the advance with 800 Cubans, but he 
failed to put in an appearance until the tight was over. At 5 o'clock 
the two columns started forward along the roads, which are about 
half a mile apart, and which meet at Las Guasimas, three miles from 
Siboney. At half past seven General Young's detachment discovered 
the enemy strongly intrenched on a small hill, and while waiting for the 
Rough Riders to reach the Spanish right, two Hotchkiss guns were put 
in position. 

The Rough Riders, advancing cautiously through a country cov- 
ered with high grass and chaparral, where thousands might have been 
hidden without betraying their whereabouts, came before they knew it, 
upon the enemy, who poured a destructive fire iuto the advancing ranks. 
It was at this time that Sergeant Hamilton Fish, of New York, was 
killed. The Hotchkiss guns then opened fire and both columns became 
engaged with the Spanish outposts. Lines deployed right and left in 
order to outflank the enemy and at the same time to bring the two 
columns in touch. Slowly they advanced through the thick, hot grass, 
sometimes creeping, sometimes running across an open space, trooper 
and volunteer alike throwing aside blanket rolls, coats and whatever 
impeded or oppressed them in their progress, but finding little oppor- 
tunity of getting a fair shot at those in front. The determined advance 
was too much for the Spaniards and when, after an hour and a quarter 
of hard fighting, the Americans charged and took their block-house, 
nothing was left for them but to retreat over the hills towards Santiago. 

Nine hundred and si.xty-four men had dislodged an intrenched force 
of far greater size, but they had not doue it without the cost of brave 
lives. Sixteen men were killed and fifty-two wounded. Among the 
killed was Captain Capron, son of Captain Capron, commanding the 



BATTLE OF EL CANEY AND SAN JUAN. 261 

battery of artillery in this expedition and who later lost his own life 
from Cuban fever. 

The conduct of such men as Heffner and "Bob" Church relieves the 
list of casualties of much of its horror. Heffner was wounded through 
the body and left propped against a tree to die, but he kept on shooting 
in the direction of the enemy. Finally he was taken to a field hospital 
where he received temporary relief, but, when he heard the ambulance 
coming to convey him to the hospital ship, he hid under the edge of 
the tent and the ambulance went off without him. Next day he dragged 
himself to the firing line and was sent back by Colonel Roosevelt, but 
at El Caney, he again got into the fight. Colonel Roosevelt asked him 
if he had not sent him to the hospital with instructions to stay there. 
He replied: 

"I believe you did. Colonel; but there was nothing going on back 
there and I thought I would rather be with the boys." 

A regiment of such men is hard to whip. 

Less pathetic, but no less inspiring, was the work of Surgeon "Bob" 
Church, who not only dressed their wounds, but, ou his own broad back, 
bore the suffering men from the firing line to a place of safety; or, if 
Death had already laid his hand upon them, a place of quiet rest. 

BATTLE OF EL CANEY AND SAN JUAN. 

From the battlefield of Las Guasimas, General Wheeler, in command 
of the cavalry, and General Lawton, in command of the Second Infantry 
Division, pressed on to the plateau at Sevilla, five miles from Siboney. 
On the following day. Colonel Wood was placed in command of a brig- 
ade and Colonel Roosevelt was made commander of the Rough Riders, in 
fact, as well as in name. 

It was believed at Washington that General Pando was at this time 
sending reinforcements to Santiago, and, as these would have found 
their easiest approach through El Caney, it was decided to make an 
attack on this point with the forces under (Jeneral Lawton, supported 
by Bates' brigade and Captain Capron's battery of artillery. 

While Lawton was approaching Santiago from the northeast, 
through El Caney, the divisions under Kent and Wheeler were to go 
straight west, through San Juan, Kent deploying to the left, Wheeler 
to the right. 

Before daylight, on July 1st, General Chaffee, who had made a care- 
ful reconnoissance, had worked his men forward so that he might ap- 



263 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

proach El Caney from the northeast, while General Ludlow came up 
from the south. 

Captain Capron's batterj^ opened the battle at half past six. For ten 
hours the fightinj;' was stubborn and fierce. The enemy were intrenched 
and the town protected by block-houses and a stone fort. The artillery 
was of little use and the fight fell on the infantry. At half past two, 
General Chaffee took the stone fort by a gallant charge led by Captain 
Haskell, of the 12th Infantry, but even with this advantage gained, the 
Spaniards refused to abandon the village, continuing the fight for two 
hours and retreating slowly from house to house. It was an American 
victory, but at a cost of almost five hundred killed and wounded. 

When the attack on El Caney was well under way and, from the 
sound of small arms, it was supposed that General Lawton was driving 
the enemy from their position, General Shaffer ordered Captain Grimes 
to open fire with his battery from El Pozo on the San Juan block-house. 
This fire was returned by the Spanish artillery, the first shells killing 
and wounding several men. As 14ie Spaniards used smokeless powder, 
it was difficult to locate their guns, while their fire was rendered partic- 
ularly galling by the fact that the American guns were served with 
black powder, which enabled the Spaniards to get the range. 

As soon as the batteries opened fire. General Sumner, with the cav- 
alry division, was sent forward to deploy to the right and cross the San 
Juan River, while General Kent, with his division of infantry, was to 
follow and deploy to the left. The underbrush was so thick and the 
road so narrow and bad, that six hours were spent in advancing a single 
mile. The long-range rifles of the Spaniards killed many and wounded 
more, before the troops could get into position to even return the fire. 

After crossing the river the cavalry deployed to the right, in order 
to connect with Lawton's force, should he come up from El Caney, while 
Kent's division formed for attack in front of San Juan mil. During 
this formation the brigade suffered severely. Colonel Wickoff was killed 
and the command fell, successively, on Lieutenant-Colonel Worth, who 
was soon wounded, then on Lieut(>nant-Colonel Liscum, who also soon 
fell, and finally, on Lieutenant-Colonel Ewers. At the same time that 
General Kent was making the formation to attack San Juan Hill, he 
gave orders to move forward the rear brigade. The tOth (colored) and 
2d Infantry were ordered to follow Wickoff's brigade; the 21st to su])- 
port General Hawkins on the right. The 10th and 2d, led by Colonel 
Pearson, moved forward on the left of the division and drove the enemy 
back towards the trenches. Both divisions, after a short advance, found 



ON THE SAN JUAN RIDGE. 263 

themselves facing a high hill on which the enemy was strongly in- 
trenched. A broad bottom intervened, covered with tall grass and 
crossed by lines of barbed-wire fence. 

In the action on this part of the field, General Shatter gives special 
praise to Lieutenant John H. Parker, 13th Infantry, and the Gatling 
gun detachment under his command. 

There seems to have been no more definite command to take San 
Juan Hill and San Juan Fort, than the simple knowledge that the Span- 
ish occupied the positions. It was, like many another battle won, a 
soldiers' fight. There was no great attempt at order, and up the steep 
incline the men climbed singly, by twos and in scattered squads, now 
firing, now advancing, breaking down wire fences, and all pushing up 
towards the Spanish trenches, from which they drove the enemy and 
descended the farther slope. 

So much was the work, mainly, of the cavalry division, of which Gen- 
eral Wheeler had left his bed to assume the command, when the firing 
began. On the farther side of San Juan Hill, Wheeler's division joined 
Kent's and, in line with it, moved on against the main Spanish force on 
the ridge of Foi't San Juan. From here the enemy were again driven 
by the 6th and 16th Infantry, under the lead of General Hawkins him- 
self, assisted by the 9th, 13th and 24th I'egiments of Ewer's brigade. 
At the same time Wheeler's six cavalry regiments, for the second time 
that day, sent the Spaniards in their front flying towards Santiago. 

The conduct of officers and men was gallant beyond the power of 
words to describe. The intrepid bravery and heroic courage of the men 
won the fight and planted the colors of the United States where the 
equally brave officers led the way. 

ON THE SAN JUAN RIDGE. 

The "feint"' at Aguadores was the third and the last of the ojjera- 
tions contemplated for July 1st. This town is situated on the coast on 
the line of railroad from Santiago to Siboney and was protected by a 
small fort. General Duffield, with the 33d Michigan Volunteers, had 
been instructed to move up from Siboney by rail and conduct the land 
attack, while the New York, the Gloucester and Suwanee shelled the 
fort. When the ships opened fire a few Spanish soldiers were seen to 
move away from the fort and General Duffield advanced as far as the 
bridge over the San Juan River, but made no attempt to cross as the 
bridge had been destroyed. The scanty garrison kept up a desultory 



264 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

tii-e from some hills beyond the river, and at noon, when they brought 
out a field piece from Santiago, General Duffield withdrew with two 
killed and several wounded. The New York promptly turned her fire 
upon the Spanish giin and silenced it. 

This very spiritless attack accomplished all that was intended of it, 
perhaps, as General Shaffer is kind enough to say: 

''The diversion at Aguadores was successful, in that the Spaniards 
who were there were held so that they could not withdraw to reinforce 
those in Santiago." 

The most interesting incident in the attack was the fine display of 
marksmanship by Lieutenant Blue, who made the two daring trips 
through the Spanish lines to get a view of Cervera's ships. He asked 
permission to shoot the Spanish flag from off the fort, and Admiral 
Sampson allowed him three shots. The range was about 1,300 yards, and 
he used a four-inch gun. The first shot tore the flag, the second hit the 
staff at its base, and the third cut it fairly away. 

The heart of the day's fight had been at San Juan, although the most 
stubborn resistance had been met at El Caney, — a position, as it turned 
out, that was of no advantage to the American line and untenable for 
the Spanish after San Juan had been taken. But it had been the 
original plan that General Lawton should take El Caney and then sup- 
port the attack on San Juan, and this plan he doggedly adhered to, 
though early in the afternoon Major-General Shaffer ordered him to 
withdraw and support Wheeler. This order was not at once carried 
out, as the charge on the fort was under way when the order came, and, 
as General Shaffer says: "When the charge was over, the fight at El 
Caney was won." It was then nearly night, but Bates started his troops, 
that had marched all the previous night and fought all day on scant 
rations, back towards San Juan. At dark they halted for much needed 
rest and refreshment, but soon moved forward, at the direction of Gen- 
eral Shaffer, and at midnight took up their position on the left of 
General Kent's division in front of San Juan. 

General La^vton left El Caney soon after Bates' brigade, taking the 
road to Santiago to connect with General Wheeler's right. Night came 
on before the troops could get into their position and in the darkness 
they encountered the enenly's pickets. The situation was reported to 
the commander-in-chief by General Lawton and at 12:30 General Shaf- 
ter ordered the division to return towards El Cauey aud by the road to 
El Pozo, "as the only certain way of gaining his new position." It took 
the tired and worn out troops, that had been fighting all day in a terrific 



ON THE SAN JUAN RIDGE. 265 

heat, the rest of the uight to make this tedious circuit, and it was half 
past seven on the morning of July 2d before the men had reached San 
Juan and after twelve before they found their position on the right of 
the cavalry and the whole division was in place. 

During this same night, July 1st, the 3-tth Michigan and 9th Massa- 
chusetts, which had just arrived from the United States, were brought 
forward; the 34th Michigan to support Kent, the 9th Massachusetts to 
extend Bates' left. 

On the evening of July 1st Kent's and Wheeler's divisions held San 
Juan Ridge, from which it had driven the enemy. Entrenching tools 
were hurried forward in the darkness, and during the night the soldiers, 
worn out by long fighting and want of food, but determined to hold the 
prestige they had gained, set about protecting their position. In addi- 
tion to the entrenchments, three batteries were brought up and put 
in position on the ridge, but when they opened fire in the morning they 
drew such a fierce reply that they were soon withdrawn. The Span- 
iards opened fire at daylight on July 2d, but with the entrenchments and 
the approach of Lawton's division little apprehension was felt as to the 
ability to hold the ridge and repel the attack. All day, and until ten 
o'clock at night, the battle raged with more or less fury. Communica- 
tion with the rear had become almost impossible on account of the roads 
and but little food could be brought up, but the men were plucky and 
held their places in the trenches, where they were alternately wet by 
the rain and scorched by the sun. If the position of the men in the line 
was uncomfortable, that of the wounded was heartrending. Men who 
could not drag themselves over the six miles to Siboney were forced to 
ride in springless wagons. There were not enough surgeons, not enough 
hospital supplies and nothing to eat but hard tack and canned meat. 
Only three ambulances had been brought from Tampa and other prep- 
arations were about in proportion. Had it not been for the work and 
supplies of the Red Cross Society the suffering would have been much 
worse. 

A conference was held on the evening of the 2d between Major-Gen- 
eral Shaffer and Generals Wheeler, Lawton, Kent and Bates, on the 
question of withdrawal. The generals were not unanimous and nothing- 
was done, but General Shaffer telegraphed to Washington on the fol- 
lowing morning, stating that he contemplated withdrawing towards 
Siboney, where he could get supplies, to a large extent, by rail. 



266 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

THE FIGHT FOR SANTIAGO. 

The story of the fight for Santiago is in itself the story of the Ameri- 
can soldier. Side by side they fought, regulars and volunteers, white 
and colored, cavalry and infantry. Opinions differ as to tactics, and 
there has been much discussion regarding othcial wisdom, but the valor 
of the rank and file has been proved anew by the most gallant fight ever 
made by any army in any country. 

The first shot was fired on June 24, 1S98, at Las Guasimas, which 
is at the joining of two trails five miles from Siboney. Just back of 
Siboney is an abrupt hill. General Wheeler ordered General Young 
and some three hundred men of the First and Tenth Cavalry up the val- 
ley trail, and Colonel Wood, with his six hundred men, up the hill trail. 
They were to meet at the joining of the trails and follow the wagon road 
to Santiago. 

The Cuban scouts sent in advance reported that there were Spanish 
sharpshooters in the jungle along the trails and that the enemy were 
intrenched at Las Guasimas. 

Troop L of the First Volunteer Cavalry received the first shot and 
the first volley of the war. The Spaniards were in ambush, they used 
smokeless powder and there was no sign of battle e.xcept the singing 
Mausers and the wounded men. The American fire was practicallj' use- 
less as the dense undergrowth and the smokeless powder rendered the 
enemy invisible. 

The fighting had begun in earnest. The Rough Riders awoke to the 
fact that this was w^ar. The first shot fired in reply to the volley killed 
one Spaniard, a half breed Indian killed another, then the Indian fell 
with seven shots in his body, and not five seconds later the younger Cap- 
tain Capron received his fatal wound. 

The command was halted and the troops deployed to right and left, 
then an advance was ordered. The heavy firing on the flanks indicated 
a considerable resistance and two additional troops w^ere deployed on 
the riglit and left, leaving three troops in reserve. The Spanish lines 
overlapped the American on both flanks and two other troops were 
deployed, which made the American line about equal in length with the 
Spanish. 

The remaining troop was sent to the front and a slow advance or- 
dered. The enemy on the right flank was forced back and a small block 
house captured. A heavy fire was directed upon the Americans from 




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THE FIGHT FOR SANTIAGO. 267 

a ridge on the right hand side, although the force on the ridge was 
being attaclced by two squadrons of the regular cavalry. 

The Spanish held the ridge with small stone forts along its entire 
length and with two machine guns. The right flank being cleared, the 
fire of two troops was concentrated upon the ridge. This, with the fire 
of the regular cavalry, compelled the Spaniards to retreat. 

The detached troops of the First Volunteer Cavalry moved out to 
the left to take the right end of the Spanish line in flank. This was 
done and the order given "Cease firing and advance." 

When within three hundred yards of the enemy, the Americans 
opened fire. The Spanish rapidly retreated. 

In Colonel Wood's official repor-t, he says: "In regard to the con- 
duct of the ofiicers and men, I can only say that one and all of them 
behaved splendidly. Captain Capron died shortly after the termination 
of the fight. I cannot say enough in commendation of the gallant con- 
duct of this officer. His troop was in advance and met the enemy in 
very heavy force, and resisted them and drove them back, and it was in 
performance of this duty that the Captain was mortally wounded. The 
service be performed prior to his death, and the work of his troop subse- 
quently to it, were of the very greatest value in contributing to the suc- 
cess of this engagement. Captain Capron's loss is an irreparable one to 
his regiment. LEONARD WOOD, 

"Comdg. 1st U. S. Vol. Cav., of 2d Brig. Cav. Div." 

A connection with the regular troops had been established on the 
right and the Americans were in possession of the entire Spanish 
position. 

General Young's command, having the easier route, had reached the 
enemy first, but the attack was delayed in order that the two divisions of 
the attacking force might work together. General Wheeler arrived 
during the delay, and cordially approved the plans for attack. 

Nine hundred and fifty men were engaged on the American side, 
while the Spanish force numbered twenty-five hundred. The Spanish 
fire was by volleys, executed with great precision. 

After the firing had ceased three troops of the Ninth Cavalry arrived 
and were stationed as outposts, until relieved by General Chaffee's brig- 
ade of General Lawton's division. 

The official reports give unanimous evidence of the bravery of the 
men under fire. Not a man flinched, not a man faltered and no face was 
turned from the front. Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt had led three 



268 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

troops of his regiment into the juu^le, where they were exposed to a 
withering fire. They could not see the Spaniards and the Spaniards 
could plainly see them. It was guerrilla warfare, of the worst kind. 

Communication with General Young's division was brought about by 
the efforts of Troop K of the Rough Riders. Captain Jenkins sent the 
guidon-bearer to the top of a bare little knoll, with instructions to wave 
his flag until Young's men saw it and answered his signal. 

Just across the valley was the Spanish force, in plain sight and 
within good range. A heavy fire was directed against him, but he paid 
no attention to it. He stood straight and waved his flag until his signal 
was answered; then he returned to his troop. 

General Young says: 

"The action of all officers and men, so far as my personal observation 
extended, was sxiperb; and I can only at this time mention the names of 
those whose conduct was personally observed by me as being highly con- 
spicuous in gallantry and daring, and evidencing a firm intention to do 
everything within the power and endurance of humanity and the scope 
of duty. 

"Captain Knox, after being shot through the abdomen, and seeing his 
lieutenant and first sergeant wounded, gave necessary orders to his 
troop, and refused to allow a man in the firing line to assist him to the 
rear. 

"Lieutenant Bryam, after having his scalp-wound dressed, and know- 
ing his captain (Knox) to be wounded, assumed command of his troop, 
but fell fainting while pushing to the front. 

"Captain Mills, the only member of my staff present with me on this 
part of the field, was most conspicuous for his daring and unflagging 
energy in his efforts to keep troops in touch, on the line, and in keeping 
me informed of the progress made in advancing through the jungle. 

"In connection with the conduct of the officers, attention is called to 
Colonel Wood's report on the conduct of Captain Capron, Major Brodie, 
Captain McClintock, Lieutenant Thomas, Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt, 
Captain McCormick (7th U. S. Cavalry), and my personal aids, Lieuten- 
ants T. R. Rivers and Smedberg. 

"I cannot speak too highly of the efficient manner in which Colonel 
Wood handled his regiment, and of his magnificent behavior on the field. 
The conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt, as reported to me by my 
aids, deserves my highest commendation. Both Colonel Wood and Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Roosevelt disdained to take advantage of shelter or cover 
from the enemy's fire while any of their men remained exposed to it — 



THE FIGHT FOR SANTIAGO. 269 

an error of judgment, but happily on the heroic side. I beg leave to 
repeat that the behavior of all men of the regular and volunteer forces 
engaged in this action was simply superb, and I feel highly honored in 
the command of such troops. I desire to express my admiration of the 
fine soldierly qualities, and conduct on the march, and after meeting the 
enemy, of Major Norvell, 10th Cavalry, and Major Bell, 1st Cavalry, com- 
manding squadrons; their rapid execution of orders was admirable. 
Major Bell received a serious wound in the early part of the engage- 
ment, and was succeeded in the command of his squadron by Captain 
Wainwright, whose management of the right wing of the advance firing 
line was all that I could desire or hope for, and more than I could under 
such opposing conditions confidently expect. Captains Beck and Gal- 
braith and Lieutenants Wright and Fleming also deserve equal praise 
for the manner in which they maneuvered and controlled their troops 
in attacking the precipitous heights before them. Captain Ayers' per- 
formance of the duties assigned to his troop was highly commendable, 
as was also Captain Watson's fine work with his battery. . . . Assist- 
ant Surgeon Fuller and Acting Assistant Surgeon Delgardo, also Assist- 
ant Surgeon J. K. Church, 1st Vol. Cavalry, deserve special mention for 
their gallant action in personally carrying wounded men from the field 
under heavy fire." 

Mr. Edward Mai'shall, of the New York Journal, was shot through 
the spine while on the firing line witnessing the engagement. Both legs 
were paralyzed in consequence of the wound, but, on being taken home, 
he pluckily resumed his work, and also wrote his book. In September 
of 1898 he was able to move around on crutches and accomplish con- 
siderable work. AfteiTvards he went to The Hague to attend the peace 
conference, and then visited Paris, where he suffered greatly. It was 
thought that, with his indomitable courage and soldier-like endurance, 
he might recover, but on the 29th of July, 1899, he was compelled to 
submit to the amputation of one leg, and it is just possible that he may 
lose the other. In reference to his conduct at the front. Colonel Wood 
says, "It was extremely courageous." 

Edward Marshall, in his "Story of the Rough Riders," gives the fol- 
lowing instance of one man's courage. 

"The first wounded officer I saw was Captain James H. McClintock of 
B troop. He was leaning propped up against the tree on the back- 
bone of the hill which was as clearly defined and bare as the buttress 
of a cathedral. Two bullets had met in his lower left leg and I have 

never seen a man suffer such pain as he did. Months afterward I saw 
18 



270 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

bim, the day aftfr be was disobarged from tbe bospital and from the 
ai'my with a record of 'balf-total disability.' He seemed to be very 
cheerful that day at Las Guasimas and was carefully explaining to 
Nichols that the place was altogether too hot for any man to stay in 
who was not obliged to. I shook hands with him and got bis name 
and address, as I did of the other wounded, and asked him if there was 
anything I could do for bim. 

" 'Not a thing,' said McClintock, 'except get out.' 

"Since then he has told me about one of bis troopers who, after 
McClintock bad been forced to lie down by exhaustion, came and lay 
close beside him. He talked cheerfully to him and tried to keep his 
spirits up. 

" 'You'd better get out of this,' said McClintock, 'it's too hot.' 

" 'Don't worry, Captain,' the mau replied; Tm between you and the 
firing line.' 

"McClintock, touched as be was by this exhibition of the man's de- 
votion, still wanted bim to get away. He urged him to leave him. The 
man refused. Finally McClintock said: 

" 'I am your captain and I order you to go; you are doing no good 
to any but me here; this is no place for a well man. I oi'der you.' 

"Then the man bad to tell. 

"'I ain't no well man,' he slowly admitted; Tm shot.' 

" 'Where?' asked McClintock. 

"'Oh, it's onl3' a scratch.' 

"They lay there in silence for a long time. The firing began to come 
from the left. The soldier worked bis painful way around uutil be was 
between McClintock and the line of fire. McClintock was too weak 
from loss of blood even to speak. 

"Then a bospital man came and lifted McClintock to carry bim back. 

" 'Take him too,' jMcClintock managed to articulate. 

" 'No use,' said the hospital man, 'he's dead.' " 

Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt noticed blood coming out of Trooper 
IJowland's side, and ordered him to the bospital. After some grumbling 
the man went, but in fifteen minutes be was back on the firing line, say- 
ing he could not find the hospital. Colonel Roosevelt doubted his story, 
but let bim stay. This man was among the wounded who walked to 
the temporary hospital at Siboney. The doctors examined him, said 
bis wound was serious and that he must go back to the United States. 
He escaped out of the hospital, but only to fight again at San Juan. 







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CHAPTER XX. 

THE DARING OF LIEUTENANT ROWAN. 

The most important secret mission during the Spanish war was 
that of Lieutenant Andrew S. Rowan, who was a Virginian by birth, 
and a soldier hy education, being a graduate of West Point of the 
class of 1881. At the opening of the war he was employed in the 
Military Information Bureau of the War Department, but it became 
necessary for the Government to confer with the Cuban leaders in 
order to secure intelligent co-operation, and Lieutenant Rowan was 
selected as the proper man to find and communicate with General 
Garcia. 

He accepted the important trust and sailed for Jamaica, reach- 
ing Kingston on April 23, 1898, where he placed himself, as he says, 
"In the hands of unknown friends." 

He was there in defiance of the authorities of Jamaica, and not 
only that, but Spanish spies were continually on the alert, ready to 
report any suspicious parties, or to assassinate them in the dark if 
need be. 

He was mysteriously conducted to a closed carriage and driven 
rapidly to a dense forest several miles from Kingston where he was 
joined by four other men and the journey was pursued in the dead of 
night, through the woods of an unknown land, in company with strang- 
ers and in almost complete silence. 

Pausing only for a change of horses it was far into the night when 
they reached the rude farmhouse where a meal awaited them. Here 
young Rowan was introduced to Gervacio Sabio, one of the com- 
manders of the Cuban navy in whose care he was placed, and who 
thus assumed the responsibility of conducting him, if possible, to the 
camp of General Calixto Garcia. 

With his new escort he drove on until toward morning, when they 
left the carriage and walked to the bay, where a little fishing smack 
lay at anchor waiting to take them to the Cuban shore, which was 
far away — a hundred miles or more to the northward. Wearily they 
entered the boat and by three o'clock in the morning Rowan had made 

371 



272 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

his bed on the bare stones which served as ballast, and slept in spite 
of the discomforts of the situation. 

It was a perilous voyage and when they approached the beautiful 
island, it was only by the greatest caution that the man at the helui 
succeeded in evading the sentinel ships which patrolled the coast night 
and day, but at midnight the little boat slipped into an inlet which 
was so protected by treacherous rocks that the Spanish ships dared 
not approach it, and here they anchored for the rest of the night. 

In the early morning the landing was made; signals were passed 
back and forth between Gervacio and those on land, a half naked 
Cuban boy appeared from the jungle and carried Rowan ashore on his 
shoulders. Then the little party fought their way on foot through 
an almost impenetrable jungle, stopping occasionally to refresh them- 
selves with the pure water which was drawn from green cocoanuts. 

They were not at liberty to choose a more favorable route — they 
must pursue their way for miles where the wild thorns and cruel cactus 
spikes, although wounding their flesh, would at least protect them 
from the Spanish guerrilla. 

On the morning of April 27th they had reached the district of 
Pilon and were already among the foothills of the mountains. The 
thickets of trees and vines were well nigh impassable, but the faithful 
Cubans knew the ground. Horses were obtained — the tough little ani- 
mals that so patiently bear their burdens although hungry and saddle 
galled, and the sure footed beasts of burden climbed the mountains or 
slipped as best they could, down the sides of dangerous ravines. 

When they were literally worn out with such traveling the Lieuten- 
ant and his party met with General Rios, the "General of the Coasts" 
in this portion of the island. 

This shrewd man, who is a cross between a Cuban and an Indian, 
was able to give the Lieutenant much valuable information concern- 
ing matters in his own district, furnishing plans and figures. 

In the thickets of these forests the insurgents managed at that 
time to publish tri-weekh' papers which were the organs of the insurg- 
ents, and the editor of one of them was introduced to Rowan. Gen- 
eral Rios also provided for him an escort of cavalry and they took the 
road to El Chino, where the General left him and a new guide was 
furnished in the person of a negro whose knowledge of the country 
seemed to be perfect. 

When they came to Bayamo they found the Cuban flag flying over 
the little town, and here the party found the headquarters of Garcia. 



THE DARING OF LIEUTENANT ROWAN. 273 

The stately old general met them at the door and extended the cour- 
tesies of a genuine hospitality to his guest. Lieutenant Kowan deliv- 
ered the papers which he had so faithfully carried through days and 
nights of peril, and after a twelve o'clock breakfast the remainder of 
the day was spent in careful work with the General. By night the 
dispatches for the United States Government were ready and the horses 
were standing at the door. 

The return party was headed by another Cuban General, Enrique 
Collazo, and with him was the chief of his staff. General Collazo was 
a trusted friend of Garcia's and also a graduate of a Spanish Artillery 
School. 

There was another long and dangerous ride, it was not until May 
5th that they reached the coast at the point of embarkation, and on 
the evening of that day they drew a frail little boat out from a thick 
cover of bushes and made ready for the voyage. 

Sails were improvised from hammocks, and food supplies, such as 
they were, were gathered from the forest. 

Then seven men tried to enter the boat, but only six could find sit- 
ting room. It was near midnight when they pulled out upon the 
treacherous sea, and the big waves frequently swept over them, mak- 
ing constant bailing necessary as well as rowing. 

All night they worked without sleep, and the next day found them 
still buffeted by the waves, and also scorched with the fierce heat of 
the tropical sun. The night following was also intensely hot. The 
next morning they slipped out into the Tongue of the Ocean and suc- 
ceeded in evading two or three little schooners which came danger- 
ously near. 

In the afternoon, however, they were picked up by a small steamer 
with a crew of negroes and carried into Nassau, where they found the 
American consul, Mr. McLane, and the day following Lieutenant Rowan 
sailed for American shores in the schooner "Fearless." 

On arriving at Tampa, he hurried off to Washington and made his 
report to the War Department and also to General Nelson A. Miles. 

The official business being over the General asked for an account 
of Rowan's experience during his perilous journey. This was briefiy 
and modestly given, and it is no wonder that the old soldier after- 
ward wrote to the Secretary of War as follows: 

"I also recommend that First Lieutenant Andrew S. Rowan, 19 
U. S. Infantry, be made a lieutenant-colonel of one of the regiments of 
immunes. Lieutenant Rowa-n made a journey across Cuba, was with 



274 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

the insurgent army under General Garcia, and bruuglit most import- 
ant and valuable information to the Government. 

"This was a most perilous undertaking and in my judgment Lion- 
tenant Rowan performed an act of heroism and cool daring which has 
rarely been excelled in the annals of warfare." 

"BUCKET" O'NEIL. 

Perhaps the figure of "Buckey" O'Neil was a typical one among the 
Rough Riders and characteristic of this cosmopolitan regiment. 

William Owen O'Nell was the son of Captain John O'Neil of the 
famous Irish Brigade of the 2nd Army Corps during the war for the 
Union. "Buckey" was born in St. Louis in 1860. 

He removed to the East with his mother and brothers, and was 
graduated from the National Law School of the District of Columbia. 
After his graduation he took the Civil Service examination for assist- 
ant paymaster in the navy and stood first out of a class of seventy-one. 

But "Buckey" O'Neil was restless and wanted an active life, so, 
before he received his appointment, he had decided to cast in his lot 
with the empire builders of the West. He went to Arizona where he 
tried his hand at newspaper publishing, but found it too slow, and 
acquiring an interest in some mines, he found a field for his energy 
and enterprise. 

His equity and justice in settling the miners' brawls and disputes 
led finally to his election as judge of Zavapai county in that Territory. 

His next advancement was to the ol!ice of sheriff. For this posi- 
tion he had the requisite qualifications, as he was the best armed man 
and the best shot in the Territory. But even the excitement, the ups 
and downs and desperate chances of this office palled on him and after 
serving three terms he removed to Prescott and stood as candidate for 
Congress. He was defeated three times and, finally abandoning this 
venture he ran for mayor of Prescott. 

The only vote against him was cast by himself. When the war 
broke out he had the warm regard of every man in Arizona and there 
was not one who would not have been glad to fight by "Buckey" O'Neil's 
side. 

Three hundred men enlisted under him in such an amazingly short 
time that the President sent him a telegram of thanks. The citizens 
of Prescott presented the company with a flag and its Captain with a 
revolver. Judge Ling presented the latter with these words: 



TENTH CAVALRY. 375 

"Major O'Neil, we want to give you a mount. It is not full grown 
but merely a Colt. We tell you that it bucks. Every time it bucks 
head it toward a Spaniard, and you can rest assured that one more 
Spaniard will bid his god-father, the devil, good morning." 

From San Antonio he wrote: 

"I am ready to take all the chances. Who would not gamble for a 
new star in the flag?" 

He gambled and personally lost, and the Kough Eiders mourned a 
gallant fighter. 

He fell in the memorable charge up the San Juan hill at the head 
of his intrejiid Arizona command. 

Captain O'Neil was known from the Atlantic to the Pacific by men, 
women and children as simply "Buckey" O'Xeil, a soubriquet which 
he acquired by his readiness to buck any game, or obstacle, danger or 
undertaking that stood between himself and honor, prosperity, and good 
citizenshiii. 

He was as brave in peace as in war and ready to sacrifice his life 
at any moment for his fellow men. When Cobb and English, of the 
10th Cavalry, fell into the water from a lighter at Daiquiri ''Buckoy" 
O'Xeil sprung instantly into the sea to their aid, but before be could 
reach them the boat had swung around and crushed them to death. 

TENTH CAVALRY. 

Too much praise cannot be given the colored soldiers of the 10th 
Cavalry, who gallantly and nobly supported the Rough Riders in their 
charge on San Juan. There had been a doubt in the minds of many 
whether the negi'o would make a competent soldier, but their brave 
work on that day dispelled every doubt and gave them the well earned 
right to be counted in the list of heroes. 

In jolly good humor they went into the fight, laughing and chaffing 
one another at every opportunity, but obedient to orders and eager 
to get in a lick at the enemy. 

One poor black fellow was seen kneeling behind a rock loading and 
firing as fast as he could, while the blood flowed from an ugly, ragged 
wound in his leg. When his attention was called to the wound he 
merely laughed and said: 

"Oh, that's all right; that's been there a good while." 

Such a fellow, white or black, is every inch a soldier and earns a 
soldier's praise. There were many of this type who went up the slope 



276 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

of Wan Juan under the colors of the 10th Cavalry and a grateful and 
generous nation gives them its unstinted praise, and houoi's the graves 
of those dusky warriors who died as the noblest heroes on the side 
of San Juan hill and rest now on the crest that overlooks the scene 
of their victory. 

SERGEANT BELL. 

Another who was wounded and still fought was Sergeant Bell of the 
Rough Riders, son of M. E. Bell, the well known architect of Chicago. 
He had worked his way forward to the firing line when an exploding 
shell struck him and severely wounded him. 

The officer of the line ordered him to the rear, but in a few minutes 
he was back again. A second time he was sent unwillingly from the 
post of danger, and a second time he came back and was firing away. 

For the third time he was ordered out of the fight, but when the 
day was done he was still with his men. Nothing but death or uncon- 
sciousness could have kept such a spirit out of the conflict. 




TEDDY ROOSEVELT. 



CHAPTER XX!. 

I. ROOSEVELT, THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY 
—PREPARATIONS FOR WAR. 

When Tammany took possession of New York, Theodore Roosevelt 
left the Police Department to become Assistant Secretary of the Navy 
at Washington. It seemed an unimportant, obscure position, but he 
made it, by the sheer force of his personality, one of the important levers 
in our successful war with Spain. 

He had long been familiar with naval matters, historically and theo- 
retically, and it was only a short time before his associates realized that 
he was a man to be depended upon, for practical considerations as well. 

He seemed to have a kind of prophetic insight into the future, for 
long before the United States was stirred from center to circumference 
by the explosion of the Maine, he exclaimed to a friend in New York: 
"We shall be compelled to fight Spain within a year." 

From the date of his appointment, in April, 1897, he began to make 
ready for such an event with a vigor that took away the breath of more 
conservative naval ofiBcers. "To be prepared for war is the most effect- 
ual means to promote peace," was the subject upon which he addressed 
a class of cadets at the Naval Academy of Annapolis. He carried out 
this maxim of Washington to its fullest conclusion. He hastened work 
on the new warships and ordered repairs on the old ones. Neither did 
he content himself with giving directions. He saw to it personally that 
they were carried out. No man who came within the radius of his 
authority was suffered to shirk. He seemed ubiquitous. As illustrative 
of his thoroughness is a characteristic remark, which made his ineffi- 
cient employes shudder. 

"In ordinary routine matters," he said, "if a man does ordinarily 
well I am satisfied; but if he doesn't do the work of importance in the 
navy with the snap and vigor I believe is necessary, I'll cinch him till 
he squeals." 

Roosevelt also issued orders that the crew of every ship be recruited 
to its full strength. He began to buy provisions, guns and ammunition, 
and to insist on more extended gunnery pra<'tice, which seemed extrava- 
gant to some of his less radical brethren. He filled the bins of every 

277 



278 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

supply station with coal. Accordingly, when Dewey steamed across the 
Pacific, he found fuel waiting for him. Without the unnecessary delay 
of an instant, the Admiral took on his coal and sailed calmly by the 
astonished Spaniards, who supposed him miles away. 

Events justified Roosevelt in the preparations he had made. The 
result of his course was so obvious as to make Senator Davis, chairman 
of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, declare that if it had 
not been for Roosevelt, we should not have been able to strike the blow 
that we did at Manila. Because of the forethought, therefore, of the 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, one of the most brilliant victories in 
our history was made possible. 

Secretary Roosevelt was occupied not only with the material needs 
of the navy, but he found time also to accomplish a change in the admin- 
istration of it, which will be of great advantage for years to come. This 
change found expression in the well-known Naval Personal Bill, which 
amalgamates the line and engineer corps of the navy. By means of it, 
the work of the Navy Department in detailing oflBcers for duty will be 
made much simpler, since every officer of the new line will be able to 
perform any of the duties which involve the management of large bodies 
of men or the control of machinery. 

The issue with Spain was held off as long as possible, to give the 
War Department time to gather itself for the coming struggle, but 
finally the words rang through the country: 

"War is declared." 

The Naval Department was overwhelmed with new duties and re- 
sponsibilities. Like the rest of its members, Theodore Roosevelt scarcely 
allowed himself time to eat and sleep. Among numberless other things, 
he had the immediate charge of purchasing vessels for the auxiliary 
fleet. There were to be sixty of them as staunch and well-adapted for 
service as it was possible to find. 

Again the country profited by his unimpeachable honesty. Ship- 
brokers flocked to him by the dozen. They had hulks to sell in various 
stages of disrepair and rottenness. They had powerful backing, too. 
But they found Roosevelt as hard as adamant. 

He refused unconditionally to buy any ships not recommended by 
the board which examined them and pronounced upon their merits. 
The board was made up of careful, expert men, and no unfit vessel 
won their approbation. So the ship brokers found the task of cheat- 
ing the navy too difficult for them and retired discomfited. As a con- 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 279 

sequence the auxiliary fleet was one to which the country could com- 
mit with safety the lives of her loyal sons. 

Roosevelt describes himself, during this time, as "sharpening the 
tools of the navy." When the task was accomplished to the satis- 
faction of every one concerned, he gave way to the desire which was 
overwhelming him. "There is nothing more for me to do here," he 
said. "I've got to get into the fight myself." 

A furor arose. His friends tried to dissuade him, and all the lead- 
ing newspapers of the country assured him that he was taking just 
the right course to ruin his career. They told him that there wei*e 
plenty of men to stop bullets but vei-y few who could manage a navy. 

"You are leaving a wife and six children," said some of the female 
population, with tears in their eyes. 

"I have done as much as any one to bring on this war," replied 
Roosevelt, "and shall I shirk now?" 

His resignation was therefore tendered and accepted with much 
regret by the President and Secretary Long. He was free to carry 
out the plan which had enlisted his interest so thoroughly. 

II. RAISING THE REGIMENT, ETC. 

American history was as familiar to Secretary Roosevelt as his 
a b c's. He knew all about Mad Anthony Wayne; the dramatic story 
of Marion's men in the American Revolution, and the part that the 
Texas Rangers played in the Mexican War. What Andy Jackson's 
soldiers did in the War of 1812 stirred his martial spirit too, and from 
a knowledge of the deeds accomplished by all these commanders, he 
concluded that such service would be invaluable in the Spanish war. 

Congress, agreeing with him, authorized the raising of three cav- 
alry regiments from among the wild riders and riflemen of the Rockies 
and the Great Plains. Roosevelt was offered the command of one of 
them. His knowledge of military matters was established by prac- 
tical experiment, for as far back as 1884 he had been a lieutenant of 
the Eighth Regiment of the National Guard of the State of New York. 
He afterwards rose to the rank of Captain, and remained a militiaman 
for more than four years. 

He felt that he could learn how to command a regiment in a month, 
but that the month at that time was of inestimable importance to the 
country. So he declined the commission of colonel. 

"Later," he said, "after I have gained some experience perhaps 



280 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

that may come." It did come, not a colonelcy only, but a recommen- 
dation also for the medal of honor for gallant conduct in action. 

Eoosevelt, therefore, was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the regi- 
ment, and Dr. Leonard Wood its Colonel. Of him Roosevelt speaks in 
highest terms. "He had served," he says, "in General Miles' incon- 
ceivably harassing campaigns against the Apaches, where he had dis- 
played such courage that he won the most coveted of distinctions — 
the medal of honor; such extraordinary physical strength and endur- 
ance that he grew to be recognized as one of the two or three who 
could stand fatigue and hardship as well as an Apache, and such judg- 
ment that toward the close of the campaigns he was given, though a 
surgeon, the actual command of more than one expedition against the 
renegade Indians." 

The two commanders were overwhelmed with applications from 
every State in the Union for membership in their regiment. They 
found that the difficulty lay not in selecting men but in rejecting them. 
As far as numbers went, they could have raised a division as easily 
as a regiment. 

Finally choice was made among all the candidates, whose great 
longing was to get to the front with this regiment into the thick of 
the fight. The result was a body of picked men so perfect in phy- 
sique, health and courage that it would have been difficult to match 
them anywhere. 

Perhaps no other regiment that ever existed held quite so many 
elements peaceably within its limits. The Red Indian stood beside a 
college graduate, the cowboy outlaw made friends with the ex-police- 
man from New York; the son of a millionaire fraternized with the 
man who did not know where his next dime was coming from, and 
the minister shared his tent with the atheist. 

As a demonstration of practical Americanism, this regiment was 
one of the most effective lessons which the countrv has had for many 
a long day. All distinctions of race, birth and circumstance were for- 
gotten. The purpose of every man was to find his duty and to do it, 
whatever it might be. 

Roosevelt, in his "Story of the Rough Riders," tells an amusing inci- 
dent indicative of the willing spirit of service among the men. Wood- 
bury Kane, gentleman, yachtsman and afterward Captain of Troop 
K, had been his close friend at Harvard. 

"When the war was on," Roosevelt writes, "Kane felt it his duty 
to fight for his country. He did not seek any position of distinction. 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 281 

All he desired was the ihame to do whatever work he was put to do 
well, and to get to the front; and he enlisted as a trooper. When I 
went down to the camp at San Antonio Kane was cooking and wash- 
ing dishes for one of the New Mexican troops; and he was doing it so 
well that I had no further doubts as to how he would get on." 

The first camp of the Rough Riders during the period of organiza- 
tion and discipline was at San Antonio, Texas. There the regiment 
learned to pull together, to feel itself as a body and to test its strength. 
Soldier and officer went at their new tasks with a will, determined 
that by no fault of theirs should the regiment fall into disrepute. 
With this feeling predominant the task of bringing unity of action 
out of all the great variety of men gathered together was compara- 
tively easy to accomplish. 

The commanders were wise, too, in recognizing the caliber of the 
men whom they were training, and they insisted only upon the most 
essential points of discipline. The soldiers were new to the work 
and some of the errors which preceded the correct behavior finally 
attained must have excited the mirth of those in authority. 

One of the men, for example, when he announced dinner to the" 
Colonel and three Majors, set all military traditions at naught by add- 
ing pleasantly, 

"If you fellars don't come soon everything will get cold." 

Another soldier who had spent every spare minute in learning accu- 
rately the manual of arms, saluted the Colonel with great precision. 
But feeling that this was scarcely cordial enough, he nodded genially 
and said, "Good evening. Colonel." 

These departures, however, from the conventional form of address 
were recognized by the commanders as merely the outcome of good 
hearted ignorance, and in each case the necessary reproof wa.s taken 
as kindly as it was meant. 

Colonel Wood and Colonel Roosevelt had put in their requests early 
at the war oflEico and had badgered the authorities so constantly that 
weapons and supplies were forthcoming just when tliey needed them. 
The last of the rifles had been received. The regiment had drilled so 
diligently that it was ready to do effective, intelligent sei*vice wher- 
ever it might be called. 

Then the welcome order flashed over the telegraph wires: "Move 
to Tampa." 

By this time the many different elements had shaken down to- 
gether and the regiment had emerged from its preparatory stage as 



282 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

a corporate body. The reversal of positions was so complete that it 
seemed as if the whole scheme of social distinctions must have been 
shaken np in a kaleidoscope. During the hot, dusty journey to Tampa, 
for instance, auyonc with a seuse of humor would have appreciated 
the sight of James Tailer and Robert Ferguson, two of the most fastid- 
ious members of the Knickerbocker Club of New York, serving canned 
corn beef, beans and hard tack, three times each day, to the hungry 
troopers. 

Hamilton Fish, Jr., and William Tiffany, nephew of Mrs. August 
Belmont and a grand-nephew of Commodore Oliver EI. Perry, the hero 
of the battle of Lake Erie, had charge of the freight cars containing 
the baled hay for the horses. They fought as well as they worked, 
for Hamilton Fish was the first Rough Rider killed by Spanish fire 
and William Tiffany lived only long enough after the war to reach 
American shores. 

On the journey to Tampa Corporal Craig Wadsworth proved a very 
useful member of the regiment. He had been before his enlistment 
one of the best riders in the Genesee Valley Hunt Club, and had been 
famous for his skill as a cotillion leader. At every meal station he 
rushed down the platform with a big tin pail in each hand to receive 
the coffee prepared for the troopers. It is safe to say that no one of 
his fair partners in the ballroom ever appreciated his grace and easy 
movement more than did the thirsty soldiers watching him, to whom 
he distributed the welcome beverage afterward. 

But though the regiment contained representatives of all classes 
of society, the bulk of it was made up of the fine sturdy men which 
our western prairies hold in reserve. They came almost altogether from 
the four Territories still remaining within the boundaries of the United 
States. 

"They were a splendid set of men, these Southwesterners," writes 
their commander with just pride; "tall and sinewy, with resolute, 
weather beaten faces, and eyes that looked a man straight in the face 
without flinching. 

"In all the world there could be no better material for soldiers 
than that aiTorded by these grim hunters of the mountains, these wild 
rough riders of llie plains." 

No small thing, perhaps, served to make the various men feel their 
brotherhood more than the Rough Riders' cry, combining war whoop, 
cattle call and college yell, which by some mysterious process of evo- 
lution came into being. When a thousand throats shouted it together 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 283 

no man could help feeling the pulse of the regiment beating in his 
brain. 

"Rough! tough! we're the stuff! 
We're the scrappers; never get enough! W-h-o-o-e-e!" 

Eoosevelt opposed the name of "Rough Riders" at first. "The ob- 
jection to that term," he said once, with a twinkle in his eye, "is that 
people who read the newspapers may get the impression that the regi- 
ment is to be a hippodrome affair." 

No one had this idea long. After the first fight of the Rough Rid- 
ers their colonel's prediction was verified. 

"They go out for business and when they do business no one will 
entertain for a moment the notion that they are part of a show." 

The advance to Tampa was a kind of continual triumphal proces- 
sion before victory. All along the line hundreds of people gathered, 
with fruit, sandwiches, and flowers for the Rough Riders; they cheered 
them and wept over them and waved flags to them as the train pulled 
out. 

"Everywhere," writes Roosevelt, "we saw the Stars and Stripes, and 
everywhere we were told, half laughing, by grizzled ex-Confederates, 
that they had never dreamed in the bygone days of bitterness to greet 
the old flag as they now were greeting it and to send their sons as 
now they were sending them, to fight and die under it." 

After four days on the cars the troops disembarked at Tampa in 
what their Colonel calls a perfect "welter of confusion." The rail- 
road company landed them wherever it could. No one was on hand 
to give them directions and no one to issue food for the first twenty- 
four hours. The commanders bought what they could for their men 
to eat and paid for it out of their own pockets, but even then the sol- 
diers were without warm food or drink during all the first arduous 
stages of camp making. 

It is a trying task to bring order out of chaos when the fault is 
not one's own, and particularly exasperating when hunger adds more 
misery to the situation. But the Rough Riders were patient and for- 
bearing. Then, as always, they set about the next duty without mur- 
muring. 

Indeed, they would have been ashamed to do anything else, for 
their commander shared every hardship with them. Colonel Wood 
they loved and respected, though he left them so soon for the com- 
mand of a brigade that he was not identified so closely with the life 



284 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

of the regiment as Theodore Roosevelt. He was their hero whom 
they would have followed over burning plowshares, if need was, as 
steadily as to the Cuban island. It is not often given to a man to 
have such worship and devotion as was accorded to Roosevelt by his 
Rough Riders. But this was his first reward for a long career of un- 
swerving, unflinching honesty that proved his sterling worth. 

Some of the cowboys of his regiment in a spirit of good natured 
fun nicknamed him "Laughing Horse," and a poem on the subject 
found its way into "The Criterion." When the term of service was 
over, the cowboys, and every other soldier in the regiment, as well, 
would have repeated four lines of it with all the force of personal 
conviction: 

"Besides, you were square as a die, old pard, 

And all that a man should be. 
So I'm with you Teddy Roosevelt, 

Old 'Laughing Horse" for me!" 

The Rough Riders were ready for war and all that it meant. But 
the Government did not need them all. It was necessary to leave 
behind four troops entire, and some men also from the troops that 
were taken. It was difficult to make the choice and the disappoint- 
ment of those who could not go was so keen and bitter that officers 
and men wept like children. They had given up so much for the 
war that they felt as if nothing else could be worth while except 
active service. Yet the inconspicuous heroes who did their uninter- 
esting camp duty at home while their comrades were making history, 
surely deserve praise and commendation from their countrymen. For 
they, too, had the heart to do and the spirit to dare. 

The Rough Riders remained ten days in Tampa before embarking. 
When they were once safely aboard their transport ship Yucatan, there 
was little incident to vary the eight days' A'oyage to Daiquiri. The 
men became better acquainted in their amusements and in the exchange 
of jokes. Nicknames were plentiful and as an indication of the inti- 
macy of the men were very interesting. 

"A brave but fastidious member of a well-known Eastern club," 
says Roosevelt, "who was serving in the ranks, was christened 'Tough 
Ike;' and his bunker, the man who shared his shelter tent, who was 
a decidedly rough cow-puncher, gradually acquired the name of 'The 
dude.' One unlucky and simple-minded cow-puncher who had never 
been east of the great plains in his life, unwarily boasted that he had 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 285 

an aunt in New York and ever afterward went by the name of 'Met- 
ropolitan Bill.' A huge red-headed Irishman was named 'Sheeney Solo- 
mon.' A young- Jew, who developed into one of the best fighters in 
the regiment, accepted, with entire equanimity, the name of 'Pork- 
chop.' " 

Surprises were the order of the day in this regiment and it was not 
at all strange, for instance, that Captain "Buckey" O'Neil, "the iron- 
nerved, iron-willed fighter from Arizona, the sheriff whose name was 
a by-word of terror to every wrongdoer, white or red, the gambler 
who with unmoved face would stake and lose every dollar he had 
in the world," should have been overheard by his Colonel discussing 
Aryan root-words with Dr. Robb Church. The stories and tales that 
went round added miles of horizon to the imagination of those who 
listened, for taken all together, the soldiers of the regiment had ex- 
plored nearly every corner of the earth and had passed thi'ough the 
whole gamut of human experience. 

III. THE CAMPAIGN IN CUBA. 

At the end of the voyage came the dramatic and dangerous per- 
formance of landing at Daiquiri, where the Rough Riders with the 
rest of the seven thousand men, were put ashore in small row boats. 
These had either to be run up through the surf and beached or landed 
at a pier, so high that the only way of reaching it was by a mighty 
leap just as the boat rose on the top-most crest of a wave. Several 
boats filled with supplies and ammunition were swamped and only 
a few rifles could be recovered by the men who dived after the miss- 
ing cargoes. Two men also, were drowned, but considering the awk- 
wardness and primitive method of landing, the wonder is not that 
there should have been any men at all drowned, but that there should 
have been as few. 

Roosevelt begged that his regiment might be one of the first to go 
to the front. His request was granted. Almost as soon as the Rough 
Riders, therefore, were all on shore, they began to march forward with 
the rest of the advance column on the narrow trail, full of streng-th 
and courage. On Thursday, June 23, the day following the landing, 
the army advanced to Juragua. This place the enemy hastily evacu- 
ated. By night the two main divisions of the invaders, advancing by 
different roads had met on the high ground surrounding the city of 
Santiago, within ten miles of the guns of Morro. 

19 



286 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

The army even at this time had a foretaste of the real misery of 
the war — lack of shelter and food. The soldiers even then began to 
make jokes about the possibility of being killed by hunger before the 
enemy Lad a shot at them. For the food sent to them at that time 
was scanty and unsuitable, and during all the hardest part of the cam- 
paign the same deplorable state of affairs existed. 

In reference to this Roosevelt says in "The Rough Riders:" 

"Of course no one would have minded in the least such hardships 
as we endured had there been any need of enduring them; but there 
was none. System and suflQciency of transportation were all that were 
needed." 

At daybreak on Friday the forward movement began again. The 
heat was intense, the jungle almost impassable. The Rough Riders 
were weary from the journey and their forced march. But they beat 
their way untiringly thi'ough thick brush and treacherous swamps with 
the rest of the guarding column. The sound of trees falling gave 
warning that the enemy was ahead preparing defenses. Almost be- 
fore they realized it the firing began. Spanish sharpshooters con- 
cealed in the trees dropped accurate bullets among them. Volley after 
volley assailed them from the enemy screened behind the bushes. The 
smokeless powder used gave no clew to their whereabouts. But the 
order for a general charge was given and with a cheer regulars and 
Rough Riders obeyed the order, firing where they could, as they plunged 
along over the uneven ground into the first engagement of the war, the 
battle of Las Guasimas. 

The Spaniards had made careful preparations. They had placed 
nearly fifteen hundred men in front of the advancing column and on 
its sides. They had arranged an ambush and they held the ridges with 
rifle guns and machine guns. It was a warm reception, truly, for our 
soldiers. The Spanish fire was well placed and very heavy. The enemy 
held their ground obstinately. But it was impossible to hold out 
against American pluck. In spite of every obstacle the invaders forced 
the pass and won the victory. 

When the fighting was over and the rush and hurrj- and the fev- 
erish intensity of battle had given place to temporary calm and quiet, 
the history of the day was told again and again as each man had seen 
it for himself. It was a wonderful story, for every foot of ground 
over which the soldiers had advanced bore its record of brave and fear- 
less deeds. 

Hamilton Fish, Jr., and Captain Capron fell at the outset. Two of 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 287 

the best soldiers in the army, their commander calls them, and he adds 
they were "two as gallant men as ever wore uniform." Hamilton Fish, 
at the very front of the column, shot a Spaniard in ambush. Then a 
bullet struck him and he sank down at the foot of a tree. Captain 
Capron and others rallied about him, he gave a watch to one of his 
messmates and at the end of twenty minutes died, the first man killed 
by the Spanish fire. 

A little later Captain Capron himself, leading the advance guard 
in person and displaying the utmost coolness and courage in the way 
he handled his men, was mortally wounded. Two soldiers lifted him 
from the ground. 

"How are the boys fighting," he asked. "Like h — 1, sir," answered 
one of the troopers. "Very well," said the Captain, "I'm going to see 
this out." 

He asked for a gun and dragging himself up on one knee he delib- 
erately aimed and fired two shots. At each discharge a Spaniard fell. 
Sergeant Bell seized the gun of a dead comrade and kneeling beside him 
fired steadily. Captain Capron gave the sergeant messages to his wife 
and father, bade him good-by as cheerfully as if he had been saying 
good-night, and a few minutes afterward died as bravely as he had lived. 

Hamilton Fish and Captain Capron but serve as examples of the 
bravery of the rest. For the soldiers, all of them, were the stuff of 
which heroes are made. When a man was hit he had to shift for 
himself as best he could. 

"No man," writes Roosevelt, "was allowed to drop out to help the 
wounded. It was hard to leave them there in the jungle where they 
might not be found again until the vultures and the land crabs came, 
but war is a grim game and there was no choice. One of the men 
shot was Harry Heffner, of G Troop, who was mortally wounded 
through the hips. He fell without uttering a sound and two of his 
companions dragged him behind- a tree. Here he propped himself up 
and asked to be given his canteen and his rifle, which I handed to him. 
He then again began shooting, and continued loading and firing until 
the line moved forward and we left him alone, dying in the gloomy 
shade. When we found him again, after the fight, he was dead." 

Another brave man was Thomas Osbell, a half-breed Cherokee, who 
received seven wounds. Half an hour elapsed between the first one 
and the last. He refused to go to the rear, and would have waited 
for the eighth if loss of blood had not made him too faint to stand. 

Major Brodie was in the frontmost rank. By his presence and ex- 



28S SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

ample he had kept his men, some of them seeing action for the first 
time, absolutely firm and steady under a most terrible fire. Suddenly 
he was hit by a bullet which whirled him about as he stood and shat- 
tered his arm. He persisted in staying where he was, until pain over- 
came him, and he was carried perforce to the rear. 

Lieutenant Thomas, badly wounded, was carried into the shade by 
some of his men. He was in great agony, yet he begged to be carried 
forward. 

"For God's sake, take me to the front," he said. "Do you hear me? 

I order you — I tell you, I order — we must give them , do you 

hear? We must give them . They have killed Capron — they have 

killed my captain." Merciful unconsciousness overtook him while he 
was still begging to go to the front. 

In the field hospital lay a little group of twenty men, all badly 
wounded. The battle agony was in their faces, their "red badge of 
courage" stained the Cuban soil, yet in their hearts there was no fear. 
Some one began to sing — 



-a^ 



"My country, 'tis of thee. 
Sweet land of liberty. 
Of thee we sing." 

Others joined in. The eyes of the men bore the glaze of approach- 
ing death, others sang jerkily and off key, and more than one quaver- 
ing voice was stopped by the finger of Death upon his lips. Yet the 
anthem was finished — sung for the first time by American soldiers, 
fighting for the first time on Cuban soil, under the flag they loved. 

Lieutenant Ord and his men had captured a rifle pit. A Spaniard, 
badly wounded, was still firing. One of Ord's men took aim, but the 
Lieutenant ordered him not to fire at a wounded man. He lowered his 
gun. The Spaniard took deliberate aim at Lieutenant Ord and blew 
his brains out. Ord's men at once killed the Spaniard, not with a bul- 
let, as a soldier hopes to go, but with the butts of their rifles as such 
a man should be dispatched. 

Captain Capron, of the artillery, lifted the blanket which covered 
his dead boy's face. "Well done, my son," was all he said, but it was 
enough. For the boy had died fighting for his country, and there is 
no nobler death. 

A hundred other instances might be told of the courage of the sol- 
diers. But they were true and noble, all. Well may the country glory 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 289 

in the splendid body of men wlio from the greatest unto the least did 
each his duty as he saw it. 

Captain Capron was buried in Juragua on the hillside near the sea- 
shore. But all the other Rough Riders who fell in the battle of Las 
Guasimas lie together in one gTave, at the toj) of the hill which they 
had died to win. 

"There could be no more honorable burial," writes Roosevelt in the 
story of the regiment, "than that of these men in a common grave — 
Indian and cowboy, miner, packer and college athlete — the man of 
unknown ancestry from the lonely Western plains, and the man who 
carried on his watch the crests of the Stuyvesants and Fishes, one in 
the way they had met death, just as during life they had been one 
in their daring and loyalty." 

No stained glass windows shed softened light upon the faces of 
those who lay on the hillside, no organ sounded the majestic chords 
of the funeral march, and no roses lay in their folded hands. It was 
grim and silent and pitiful. But the brief tropic dusk made their 
cathedral and the "taps" from the bugle was their last good night. 
Over their grave is an inscription — "to the memory of eight unknown 
soldiers." Unknown, perhaps, but not forgotten, for they are the eight 
who received the baptism of fire for the flag, under its stars in a land 
they were trying to make free. 

The sufferings of the wounded after the battle of Las Guasimas 
were greatly intensified by the lack not only of cots and other com- 
forts of the sick room but of medicine and even shelter itself. It seemed 
hard that men should lie in the railroad shed at Siboney till it was 
full and then on the ground, exposed to the drenching Cuban rain when 
there were plenty of tents in the holds of the transport ships. They 
did not complain. They lay there hour after hour, suffering in silence, 
till their turn came to be lifted upon the grim improvised operating 
table and to feel the knife of the surgeon, working unremittingly by the 
light of a flickering candle. Then there was nothing to do but put 
the patient back again upon the oozy soil, without even a blanket to 
cover him. It was hard, too, to offer a man burning up with fever, 
salt pork and hard tack, when there was abundance of suitable food 
on the ships, and it seemed unnecessary that many men should die 
for lack of the medicine that had not been unloaded. But such was 
the case. Lack of foresight and inefficiency of transportation were 
again responsible for a vast amount of seemingly unnecessary misery. 



290 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

But it may have been the best thiugr thus to hurry forward and close 
the contest as speedily as possible. 

The morning following the battle of Las Guasimas Roosevelt went 
to Siboney to visit the wounded, and after looking about at the heroes 
he said with a ring of his voice that no one who heard him will ever 
forget : 

"Boys, if there is a man in the United States who wouldn't be 
proud to change places with you he is not worth his salt, and he is 
not a true American." 

The first four days after the battle were uneventful. There was 
very little food for the soldiers. Tents were an unknown luxury. 
Every tenth man had a blanket which he had captured from the Span- 
iards, but the other nine were without shelter or protection against 
the frequent rains. But neither regulars nor Bough Riders grumbled. 

About this time Colonel Wood was put in command of a brigade and 
Roosevelt was made Colonel of his regiment. Close on his appoint- 
ment followed the thrilling battle of San Juan Hill, beginning the first 
day of July. 

During the first part of the action the Rough Riders were held in 
reserve for what seemed to them an interminable length of time. They 
fell, man after man, wounded or killed by Spanish bullets without a 
chance to return a shot. 

At last the order was given to support the regulars and to make 
an attack on San Juan Hill in force. Nothing could have been more 
welcome to the men than the chance to hunt down the enemies who 
were dealing out death to them so unsparingly. 

Roosevelt was ahead, mounted on horseback. He wore on his som- 
brero a blue polka dot handkerchief, and as he rode it fluttered out 
straight behind him. His men scrambled along after him as best 
they could up the slippery hill that gave them no footing, a few in 
advance and the othei"s creejiing along behind. 

Up they went and up through a perfect rain of deadly bullets. 

There was no glitter, no sound of trumpets, no detachment of men 
keeping step to the music of a band. But all along the straggling 
rows men dropped and lay where they fell or struggled toward shelter- 
ing bushes, while their comrades pushed on to take their places. 

The lin(> of soldiers rose higher and higher. The half way point 
was reached. The fire of the Spaniards was redoubled; their bullets 
hissed like a thousand serpents. 

Then for one moment the enemy appeared, black and forbidding, 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 291 

between our soldiers and the sky. They fired one volley and fled, as 
the men of the Tenth and the Kough Riders reached the blockhouse 
together. 

San Juan Hill was ours. 

The Stars and Stripes floated over the trenches and the yellow silk 
flags of the cavalry were planted beside them. 

The victors swung their hats and tried to cheer. They were breath- 
less from the hot climb. Their throats were dry and dusty, but the 
sound of that faint shout to those listening far below seemed sweeter 
than any music. 

No hero of old who rode to battle with shining armor and flying 
plumes ever showed finer courage than those men in their blue blouses, 
grimy with battle, who set their teeth and climbed up the smooth hill 
that seemed as long as eternity itself. It was the grim, tenacious, 
obstinate courage, that needs no stage setting of music and applause 
to stir it to duty. It is the kind that endures till death or victory. 

The losses of the battle itself were heavy, those preceding the battle 
when the men lay waiting for the command to move, perhaps as heavy. 
Captain Mills fell as he was giving an order. Captain O'Neil, of the 
Rough Riders, walking up and down before his men, who were call- 
ing to him to take shelter, said: "There is no Spanish bullet made 
that can kill me." Even as he spoke one of the deadly messengers 
passed between his lips and silenced him forever. 

Steel, Swift and Henry were shot out of their saddles. The sharp- 
shooters and the guerrillas hidden in the trees above the trail did 
most cruel work. No smoke betrayed them and their bullets came 
from every side. They spared no one, but took a fiendish delight in 
hitting those already wounded, the soldiers who were carrying them, 
the surgeons and the representatives of the Red Cross. 

Roosevelt seemed to bear a charmed life. Mounted on horseback, 
as he was, he made a conspicuous target at which many a Spaniard 
aimed. No one who saw him start up San Juan Hill on a gallop ever 
expected to see him alive again. But not a bullet touched him. He 
reached the blockhouse on the top of the hill, with four troopers, be- 
fore all the Spaniards had abandoned it and killed one of them who 
was still firing, with his own revolver. He had a narrow escape, too, 
while standing with a group of officers near the top of the ridge in 
advance of his command. Two shells in swift succession screeched 
over their heads from the direction of Santiago; one killed a Cuban, 
and the other burst a short distance from the Colonel. A fra<'-ment of 



292 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

it struck Roosevelt on the first knuckle of the left hand, causing the 
blood to flow freely. He walked over to some of his men and held out 
his hand, remarking with a smile: 

"Well boys, I got it too, but the Spaniards will have to beat that." 

In the battle of Las Guasimas, likewise, he had seemed to be Provi- 
dentially preserved for the work that waited him later. He ran un- 
heard of risks but escaped eveiy time. Once he was standing behind 
a tree and by some impulse put his head to one side to look beyond 
it, when a Mauser bullet passed through the tree just where his head 
had been an instant before. 

A story is told of him during this battle illustrating the amusing 
incidents which sometimes occur even during the gravest events. 
Roosevelt is very near-sighted and very dependent on his glasses. Be- 
fore the war it was his custom to wear nose glasses with a black silk 
cord attached. These were obviously out of place in a Cuban cam- 
paign, so he provided himself with a dozen pairs of very large, round 
spectacles with steel hooks for the ears. These he distributed so that 
no one accident could destroy them all. One pair he sewed in his 
blouse, another in his belt, another in his hat, two in his saddle bags, 
and the others wherever he could stow them away safely. At the 
fight of Las Guasimas his horse, while held by an orderly, was flecked 
by a bullet which sent him plunging frantically against a tree. Roose- 
velt rushed up, full of anxious concern, and began to pry under the 
saddle flap. 

"They haven't hurt the nag, sir," said the orderly. 

"I know, I know," said the Colonel with exasperation in his voice; 
"but they've smashed my specs." 

During the three days' battle of San Juan the men had a good demon- 
stration of the hardships of war. They fought all day and dug in the 
trenches most of the night. They had almost nothing to eat, but no 
one shirked. They were drenched to the skin by tropical rains and 
then chilled through and through by the night air. 

"To wake men up at 5 a. m.," says their commander, "who have 
had nothing to eat, nothing to cover them — wake them up sutklenly 
and have them all run the right way; that is the test. Such men are 
a good lot. There wasn't a man who went to the rear." 

This is Colonel Roosevelt's side of the story, but his men had an- 
other to tell. They had lain for forty-eight hours in the muddy ditches 
and it seemed as if their endurance was at an end. They were worn 
out, hungry and discouraged. Suddenly, early in the morning the 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 293 

Spaniards appeared at the top of the hill. The men in the trenches 
stirred restlessly. They felt as if they wanted to turn anywhere away 
from those whizzing balls. Just at that moment they saw Colonel 
Roosevelt with his blue handkerchief flapping about his neck, walking 
as calmly along the top of the intrenchment as if he had been taking 
a stroll at Oyster Bay. 

The rain of Mauser bullets dropping about him gave him no con- 
cern whatever. The men cheered him and called him to come down. 
In the face of such coolness and bravery all their uneasiness vanished 
in a moment. They were again courageous soldiers, ready to fight till 
every Spaniard had fallen or fled. 

On the seventeenth of July Santiago surrendered. But it was at 
a heavy cost to our army. The climate and the lack of suitable food 
were as fatal as the enemy's bullets and the army was a mere skele- 
ton of itself. A few sporadic cases of yellow fever appeared. But 
the disease did not spread. Malarial fever was the great foe, and 
nearly every soldier had at least a touch of it. Man after man was 
dying of disease and lack of nourishment. Not ten per cent of the 
army was fit for active service. The four immune regiments ordered 
there were sufficient to garrison the town. There was absolutely noth- 
ing for the soldiers to do. But still the authorities at Washington did 
not give the order to return. 

At last, after Colonel Roosevelt had taken the initiative, all the 
American general officers united in a "round robin" to General Shaf- 
fer setting forth the true state of affairs. 

"This army must be moved at once or perish," they wrote. "As 
the army can be safely moved now, the persons responsible for prevent- 
ing such a move will be responsible for the unnecessary loss of many 
thousand lives." 

As a result of this protest the officials at Washington finally woke 
to the fact that the army must be ordered home or there would be 
nothing left to order. When the command reached Cuba the men 
could scarcely contain themselves for joy. Colonel Roosevelt marched 
to the ship at the head of his regiment. There were many gaps in it 
which could never be filled, and many soldier graves on the island to 
tell the sad story of the war. But there were many heroes, too, re- 
served for a kinder fate, and many who received their promotion and 
marched home again to the reward of their bravery. 



294 SPLENDID DEEDS OX SEA AND LAND. 



THE RETURN FROM CUBA. 

The Rough Riders landed at Long Island after a prosperous voyage 
and encamped at Montauk Point. Their work was over. They had 
proved their valor in the eyes of all the world. For a few weeks longer 
they remained together, then they scattered to resume the occupations 
of ijeace once more. The minister went back to his pulpit, the gambler 
to his den, the cowboy to his Western plains, the professor to his col- 
lege, the half-breed to his Indian reservation and the aristocrat to his 
club. 

Theodore Roosevelt was called to Albany to sit in the Governor's 
chair. There, fearless and staunch as ever, he worked for the good of 
the State. He put into important positions men who could be trusted, 
and his party liked them or not as it pleased. He stood behind an 
investigation which routed a dishonest New York surrogate from his 
place. Perhaps the most important work of his administration was 
the passage of the Ford Franchise Rill, taxing the franchises of rail- 
roads, telephones, gas and similar corporations which use in any man- 
ner the public highways. At an extra session of the Assembly, called 
for the purpose in the teeth of a most determined majority in the Sen- 
ate, Governor Roosevelt compelled the adoption of certain amendments 
to this bill securing fair play for the corporations, as well as for the 
city and State. 

THE REUNION OF THE ROUGH RIDERS. 

After a year of remarkable success in governing the State of New 
York Colonel Roosevelt went to Las Vegas, New Mexico, to attend the 
first reunion of his regiment. 

The opening day was given over to the joy of reunion, to elabo- 
rate receptions and fireworks. The second was the anniversary of the 
battle of Las Guasimas and a service was held in memory of the dead. 
It was very impressive. 

"The marvelous amount of color," says one of those who was pres- 
ent, "worn in this southwestern country was never better illustrated 
than in the gathering at the Opera House for these services. Cowboys 
in every kind of garb, guardsmen of the New Mexico National Guard, 
Routrh Riders, Indians, Mexican women and children from the adobes, 
ranchmen in their picturesque attire, were all there, decorated with 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 295 

the cavalry color, intersplashed with bands of red and blue, pink and 
everything else that was bright." 

It was a different picture from the sober scene of a year before, 
when a body of men had fought their way inch by inch through the 
Cuban jungle with the enemy's bullets dropping about them. 

But when Parson Uzzell began to preach to them the Rough Riders 
felt as if they were living the battle over again. In Sherman's phrase, 
it was "the hour when a regiment gets very near to its God." 

The women who had contributed some precious life to the war 
sobbed outright, and the men wiped their eyes furtively. When Par- 
son Uzzell ended his sermon by reading Kipling's Recessional, a deep 
hush fell over the audience. 

Then Colonel Roosevelt arose and said: 

"I have listened to Beecher and to Brooks but I have never heard 
the like of this before. I would ask that this sermon be printed for 
distribution among the Rough Riders." 

Lafe Young, who had been with the regiment in Cuba, only inten- 
sified the effect of solemnity by his simple and touching tribute to the 
dead, which followed the sermon. At the close he pronounced the 
benediction: 

"May the God of Isaac and Jacob, of Cromwell and Milton, of Wash- 
ington and Lincoln, be with and preserve this republic and its people." 

The "amen" of the vast audience was like the voice of the nation 
answering. 

In the afternoon all the interest centered about the presentation of 
a medal to Colonel Roosevelt and a sword to the gallant Major Brodie, 
given by the Rough Riders and the citizens of New Mexico. 

Hon. Frank Springer presented the medal to the Colonel and made 
a ringing speech which caused every Rough Rider to thrill and tingle 
with pride in his birthright as American citizen. 

"The mighty fact," Mr. Springer said, "which the year 1898 brought 
forth was not the glory of war, which added to the annals of our vic- 
torious arms the names of Manila and Santiago. It was not that our 
armies were valiant or our navy invincible, for these facts are not new 
to our history. But it is that now after a centurj' of internal dissen- 
sion — the fruit of antagonistic interests and discordant elements — the 
nation has been born again and that there is realized in fact that grand 
ideal set before us in the admonitions of Washington, the exhortations 
of Webster and the yearnings of the patient and farseeing Lincoln — a 
complete and perfect union. 



296 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

"Of this transcendent fact the must splendid witness was that band 
of heroes whose survivors have assembled to meet you here to-day. As 
if to furnish the world a living proof of this new birth among the na- 
tions, they came together under the magic of your name — the most re- 
markable body of men that ever followed the American flag." 

"Men from every section, of every race, calling and condition, Pro- 
testant, Catholic and Jew, American and Indian, the millionaire and the 
breadwinner, the cowpuncher and the dude, from East to West, and 
from North to South they gathered, sons of rebel and Yankee alike to 
march in ranks of war against a foreign foe, the very incarnation of 
the American people. When they planted our glorious emblem upon 
the bloody heights of San Juan, where all the world might see, they 
set the symbol of a reunited people." 

A few hours afterward the regiment dispersed for the second time. 
But its soldiers carried to the four corners of the country the inspira- 
tion of that meeting. However far they may be separated in place and 
thought, the name of Roosevelt will bridge the distance, and the words 
of Kipling's mighty war song will be to them as a password into that 
strange and wonderful experience of war and battle which they shared 
together. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR— SUMMARY OF EVENTS. 

We now give a brief but comprehensive summary of the events of 
the war. 

APRIL, 1899. 

April 7. Several diplomatic officials of Great Britain, Germany, 
France, Austria, Italy and Russia, met the President at the White 
House bearing a. message of friendship and peace. The collective note 
, of the great powers was replied to by the President in fitting terms. 

April 10. The Spanish Minister presented the final plea of his Gov- 
ernment for peace to Mr. Day, the assistant secretary of state. 

April 11. President McKinley sent his war message to Congress. 

April 19. Congress passed a joint resolution by a vote of 42 yeas 
to 35 nays in the Senate, and of 319 yeas to 6 nays in the House of 
Representatives, declaring war against Spain. 

April 20. The President approved the resolution. 

April 21. General Woodford, Minister to Spain, received his pass- 
ports from the Spanish Government. 

April 22. Blockading proclamation issued. It was also on this 
date that the first gun of the war was fired by the gunboat Nashville 
in capturing the first prize of the war, the Buena Ventura. 

April 23. The President called for 125,000 volunteers for service 
during two years. 

April 24. Spain issued a decree that war existed with the United 
States. 

April 25, War formally declared by Congress against Spain. 

April 27. First battle of the war was fought off Matanzas by Ad- 
miral Sampson with the New York, the Puritan and the Cincinnati. 

April 29. Cervera's fleet sailed for Cuba. 

April 30. The battleship Oregon arrived at Rio de Janeiro from 
San Francisco. 

MAY. 

May 1. Admiral Dewey destroyed the entire Spanish fleet under 
Admiral Montojo in the Bay of Manila. 



298 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

May 2. Commodore Dewey cut the cable connections between Ma- 
nila and Hong Kong and took possession of the naval station at Cavite. 

May 4. The vessels of Rear Admiral Sampson's fleet sailed from 
Key West. 

May 6. The French steamer La Fayette was captured as a blockade 
runner. 

May 7. Commodore Dewey was promoted to be Rear Admiral and 
given the thanks of Congress. 

May 11. Naval encounter at Cardenas resulting in the death of 
Ensign Bagley. 

May 12. First fight on Cuban soil in attempting to land supplies. 
Part of the fleet under Admiral Sampson bombarded the batteries de- 
fending San Juan, Porto Rico. 

May 13. The "Flying Squadron" under Commodore Schley sailed 
from Hampton Roads. 

May 15. The entire Spanish Cabinet resigned. 

May 16. General Merritt was assigned to the new department of 
the Pacific, including the Philippines. 

May 18. The cruiser Charleston, Captain Glass, sailed from San 
Francisco for the Philippines. 

May 19. Cervera's fleet arrived in the bay of Santiago de Cuba. 

May 21. The monitor ilonterey was ordered to Manila. 

May 23. The 1st California regiment embarked on the City of Pek- 
ing for Manila. 

May 25. The President called for 75,000 additional volunteers. 

May 26. The Oregon arrived at Key West. 

May 30. Commodore Schley sent a dispatch that he had seen Cer- 
vera's fleet in the bay of Santiago de Cuba. 

JUNE. 

June 1. Admiral Sampson joined Commodore Schley and took 
command of the united American fleets, composed of sixteen warships, 
off Santiago de Cuba. 

June 3. The Merrimac was sunk in the mouth of the Santiago har- 
bor and Hobson was taken prisoner with the seven brave men who vol- 
unteered to accompany him. 

June 6. Teu ships bombarded the batteries at Santiago de Cuba. 

June 7. The French cable was cut in Guantanamo Bay. 



SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR— SUMMARY OF EVENTS. 299 

June 10. Six hundred United States marines were landed at Cai- 
manera, near Guautanamo and located at Camp McCalla. 

June 11 and 12. Fighting took place at Camp McCalla. 

June 13. Camara's fleet sailed from Spain. A portion of the first 
military expedition left Tampa, Florida, for Santiago de Cuba. 

June 14. Spanish troops were pursued by scouting parties of ma- 
rines and Cubans on Guantanamo bay; 200 Spaniards killed and 
wounded. 

June 15. The Texas, Marblehead and Suwanee bombarded the forts 
at Caimanera. 

June 10. Forts at Santiago were again bombarded by Sampson's 
fleet. 

June IS. Admiral Camara's fleet arrived at Cartagena. 

June 20. United States troopships arrived at Santiago de Cuba. 

June 21 and 22. The American army under General Shafter landed 
at Daiquiri and Siboney from the troopships. 

June 22. The auxiliary cruiser St. Paul destroyed the Spanish 
torpedo boat Terror. 

June 23. The monitor Monadnock sailed for Manila. 

June 21. General Young and the Rough Riders attack the Span- 
iards at La Guasimas, near Sevilla. Hamilton Fish, Jr., and Captain A. 
K. Capron were killed. 

June 25. The Americans under General Chaffee occupied Sevilla. 

June 2G. The advance American forces reached San Juan, four miles 
distant from Santiago. 

June 27. The third Manila expedition, commanded by General 
Arthur Mac Arthur, sailed from San Francisco. 

June 28. President McKinley issued proclamation extending the 
blockade further of Cuban ports. 

June 29. Major-General Merritt sailed for the Philippines from San 
Francisco. General Snyder's division of troops sailed for Santiago de 
Cuba, from Tampa. 

June 30. The Cruiser Charleston, with three transports, arrived in 
Manila bay. 

JULY. 

July 1 and 2. General Lawton, General Kent, General Chaffee, 
General Young, Colonel Roosevelt, with Grimes, Capron and other brave 



300 SPLENDID DEEDS OX SEA AND LAND. 

ofifieers and men, take the heights of El Caney and San Juan, overlook- 
ing Santiago de Cuba. The American losses in the two days' engage- 
ment were: Officers killed, 23; men, 20S. Officers wounded, 80; men, 
1,203. Missing, 81 men. 

July 3. Destruction of Cervera's fleet. 

July 4. Truce established between the contending forces. 

July 5. General Toral refused to surrender the city. The truce was 
extended. 

July 6. Lieutenant Hobson and his men exchanged. 

July 7. An extension of armistice wfts granted. 

July 8. The Concord and the Ealeigh, of Admiral Dewey's squad- 
ron, took possession of Isla Grande in Subig bay, on the island of Luzon. 

July 9. General Miles sailed from Charleston on the Yale for San- 
tiago de Cuba. General Toral offered to surrender if his troops Avere 
permitted to march out with their arms. The proposal was not accepted. 

July 11. General Miles arrived at Santiago de Cuba, and conferred 
with General Shafter. Firing was resumed against the Spanish defenses. 

July 14. General Toral agreed to surrender. 

July 15. The fourth Manila expedition sailed from San Francisco, 
under General Otis, with 1,700 troops. 

July 16. Admiral Cervera and the officers captured from his fleet 
arrived at Annapolis as prisoners of war. 

July 17. The City of Santiago de Cuba formally surrendered to 
General Shafter. 

July 18. President McKinley issued his proclamation regarding 
the government of Santiago de Cuba. 

July 25. General Miles landed in Porto Rico, near Ponce. 

July 2G. Spain proposed peace through the French Ambassador, 
M. Jules Cambon. 

July 27. The American forces advanced against Yauco, in Porto 
Rico. 

July 28. General Brooke sailed with his command from Newport 
News for Porto Rico. 

July 29. The American forces moved towards Malate on the road 
to Manila. 

July 30. The President transmitted to Spain a statement regard- 
ing the basis of peace. 

July 31. Battle of Malate between the Americans and Spanish 
near Cavite and Manila. 



SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR— SUMMARY OF EVENTS. 301 

AUGUST. 

Aug. 1. The American troops in Porto Rico moved toward San 
Juan, General Miles having joined Generals Brooke and Schwan. 

Aug. 5. The town of Guayama, in Porto Eico, was captured after 
a slight engagement by the Fourth Ohio and the Third Illinois Regi- 
ments. 

Aug. 7. Admiral Dewey and General Merritt demanded the surren- 
der of Manila. The demand was refused. 

Aug. 8. A skirmish took place near Guayama, Porto Rico. Five 
soldiers of the Fourth Ohio were wounded. 

Aug. 9. The town of Coarao, Porto Rico, was captured. Spain's 
reply to the peace proposition was presented to the President. 

Aug. 10. Secretary Day and M. Jules Cambon agreed on the terms 
of a protocol to be sent to Spain for approval. 

Aug. 11. A protocol suspending hostilities was signed in Washing- 
ton at 4:23 p. m., M. Jules Cambon having received authority from Spain 
to act for it. 

Aug. 13. Manila surrendered to the ti'oops under General Merritt 
and Admiral Dewey. 

Aug. 17. The President appointed, as commissioners to act regard- 
ing the evacuation of Cuba, Major-General James F. Wade, Rear 
Admiral Wm. T. Sampson, and Major-General Matthew C. Butler. For 
Porto Rico he named Major-General John R. Brooke, Rear Admiral 
Winfield S. Schley and Brigadier-General William W. Gordon. 

Aug. 19. Spain appointed as commissioners for Cuba, Major-General 
Gonzales Parrade, Rear Admiral Pastor y Landere and Marquis Mon- 
toro. For Porto Rico, Major-General Ortega y Diaz, Commodore "S'alla- 
rino y Carrasco and Judge- Advocate Sanchez Aguila y Leon. 

Aug. 20. A grand naval parade was held in New York, in which 
the New York, Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Indiana, Texas, Oregon and 
Iowa participated. 

SEPTEMBER. 

Sept. 9. President McKinley appointed as peace commissioners 
William R. Day of Ohio, Senators William P. Frye of Maine, Cushman 
K. Davis of Minnesota, George Gray of Delaware and Mr. Whitelaw 
Reid of New York. 

Sept. 17. The American commissioners sailed for Paris. 

20 



302 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Sept. 18. The Spanish govcrnmont appointed as commissioners 
Senor Montero Rios, Senor Abarzuza, Senor Garnioa, General Cevero 
and Senor Villarrutia. 

Sept. 20. The evacuation of Porto Kico was begun. 

Sept. 21. Mustering out of volunteers ordered to begin at once. 

Sept. 24. IVIuch criticism having been made in various directions 
regarding the conduct of the war, the President appointed a Commis- 
sion of Investigation, which convened on this day at Washington. The 
commission was composed of the folhjwing persons: Major-General 
Grenville M. Dodge of Iowa, Colonel J. A. Sexton of Illinois, Captain 
E. P. Howell of Georgia, ilajor-General J. M. Wilson, chief of engineers 
of the United States ai-my; the Hon. Charles Denby of Indiana, late 
minister to China; ex-Governor Urban A. Woodbury of Vermont, ex- 
Governor James A. Beaver of Pennsylvania, Major-General A. McD. 
McCook of the army (retired), Dr. Pliineas S. Connor of Cincinnati. 
General Dodge was elected chairman of the commission. 

THE TREATY OF PARIS. 

On Christmas Eve, 1898, the Peace Commission delivered to the 
President of the United States a copy of the treaty of peace drawn up 
and signed in the city of Paris, December 10th, 1898. By this treaty, 
Spain lost her sovereignty over Cuba and ceded to the United States 
the Island of Porto Rico and her other possessions in the West Indies, 
the Island of Guam in the Ladrones, and all her possessions in the 
Philippines. 

The Spanish commissioners asked an indemnity for the expense 
Spain had incurred in the war with the Filipinos. 

As a compromise of this claim, the United States agreed to pay Spain 
$20,000,000 within three months after the ratification of the treaty. 

In the Ignited States the ratification of the treaty was bitterly 
opposed in many quarters, and it was not until February Gth, 1899, that 
tlie Senate voted its approval. 

Its action was accelei-ated, no doubt, by the fact that the Filipinos 
had attacked the American forces at Manila on February 5th, and 
although a brilliant victory had been won by our troops, several of the 
brave soldiers had been killed and wounded. The American spirit at 
home was thoroughly aroused. Patriotism arose above party. Repub- 
licans, Democrats, Populists and Silverites voted to sustain the govern- 
ment by a vote of 57 to 27. 



SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR— SUMMARY OF EVENTS. 303 

COST OF THE WAR IN 1898 TO BOTH NATIONS. 

Cost to Spain. 

Although we have not official figures concerning the losses of the 
Spaniards, the following may be considered a very good estimate: 

Loss of Territory. 

Area in sq. Miles. Population. Financial value. 

Cuba 41,(>55 1,631,087 .f300,000,000 

Philippines 114,050 7,670,000 450,000,000 

Porto Rico 3,670 813,937 150,000,000 

Caroline and Sulu Islands 111,000 

These are unimportant, except for naval stations. 

Cost of War $ 125,000,000 

Loss of Commerce 20,000,000 

Thirty Ships Lost 30,000,000 

Total Financial Loss $1,075,000,000 

Loss of Life. 

Killed 2,500 

Wounded 3,000 

Cost to the United States. 

Over against the enormous losses by Spain we find ours to be the 
following: 

Battleship Maine $ 2,500,000 

Cost of War 200,000,000 

Indemnity to Spain 20,000,000 

Total 1222,000,000 

Loss of Life. 

Battleship Maine 266 

Killed in action (about) 253 

Wounded (about) 1 ,324 

Died in Camp (about) 2,000 

Total 3,833 

These figures do not include those who died after being mustered 
out. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION, 

The best possible presentation of the whole Philippine question is 
that given by President McKinley in his message to Congress, December 
5, 1899. It is succinct, comprehensive and historical. 

THE TREATY OF PEACE. 

On the 10th of December, 1898, the treaty of peace between the 
United States and Spain was signed. It provided, among other things, 
that Spain should cede to the United States the archipelago known 
as the Philippine islands, that the United States should pay to Spain 
the sum of |20,000,000 and that the civil rights and political status of 
the native inhabitants of the territories thus ceded to the United States 
should be determined by the congress. 

The treaty was ratified by the senate on the 6th of February, 1899, 
and by the government of Spain on the 19th of March following. The 
ratifications were exchanged on the 11th of April, and the treaty pub- 
licly proclaimed. On the 2d of March the congress voted the sum con- 
templated by the treaty and the amount was paid over to the Spanish 
government on the 1st of May. 

In this manner the Philippines came to the United States. The 
islands were ceded by the government of Spain, which had been in 
undisputed possession of them for centuries. They were accepted not 
merely by our authorized commissioners in Paris, under the direction 
of the executive, but by the constitutional and well-considered action 
of the representatives of the people of the United States in both 
houses of congress. 

I had every reason to believe, and I still believe, that this transfer 
of sovereignty was in accordance with the wishes and the aspirations 
of the great mass of the Filipino people, not to make war. 

From the earliest moment no opportunity was lost of assuring the 
people of the islands of our ardent desire for their welfare and of the 
intention of this government to do everything possible to advance their 
interests. In my order of the 19th of May, 1898, the commander of the 
military expedition dispatched to the Philippines was instructed te 

304 




AGUINALDO, THE INSURGENT LEADER 
OF THE FILIPINOS 



THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION. 305 

declare that we came not to make war upon the people of that country, 
"nor upon any party or faction among them, but to protect them in 
their homes, in their employments, and in their personal and religious 
rights." 

THERE TO PRESERVE PEACE. 

That there should be no doubt as to the paramount authority there, 
on the 17th of August it was directed that "there must be no joint 
occupation with the insurgents;" that the United States must preserve 
the peace and protect persons and property within the territory occu- 
pied by their militaiy and naval forces; that the insurgents and all 
others must recognize the military occupation and authority of the 
United States. 

As early as December 4, befpre the cession, and in anticipation of 
that event, the commander in Manila was urged to restore peace and 
tranquillity and to undertake the establishment of beneficent govern- 
ment, which should afford the fullest security for life and property. 

On December 21, after the treaty was signed, the commander of 
the forces of occupation was instructed "to announce and proclaim in 
the most public manner that we come, not as invaders and conquerors, 
but as friends to protect the natives in their homes, in their employ- 
ments, and in their personal and religious rights." 

On the same day, while ordering General Otis to see that the peace 
should be preserved in Iloilo, he was admonished that: "It is most 
important that there should be no conflict with the insurgents." On 
the 1st day of January, 1899, urgent orders were reiterated that the 
kindly intentions of this government should be in every possible way 
communicated to the insurgents. 

THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. 

On January 21 I announced my intention of dispatching to Manila 
a commission composed of three gentlemen of the highest character 
and distinction, thoroughly acquainted with the orient, who, in associa- 
tion with Admiral Dewey and Major-General Otis, were instructed to 
"facilitate the most humane and effective extension of authority 
throughout the islands, and to secure with the least possible delay the 
benefits of a wise and generous protection of life and property to the 
inhabitants." 

These gentlemen were Dr. Jacob Oould Schurman, president of 
Cornell Univei'sity; Hon. Charles Denby, for many years minister to 



306 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

China, and Prof. Dean C. Worcester of the University of Michigan, who 
Lad made a most careful study of life in the Philippines. 

While the treaty of peace was under consideration in the senate 
these commissioners set out on their mission of good will and libera- 
tion. Their character was a sufficient guaranty of the beueflceut pur- 
pose with which they went, even if they had not borne the positive 
instructions of this government, which made their errand pre-eminently 
one of peace and friendship. 

BLAMES PHILIPPINE LEADERS. 

But before their arrival at Manila the sinister ambition of a few 
leaders of the Filipinos had created a situation full of embarrassments 
for us and most grievous in its consequences to themselves. The clear 
and impartial preliminary report of the commissioners, which I trans- 
mit herewith, gives so lucid and comprehensive a history of the present 
insurrectionary movement that the story need not be here repeated. 
It is enough to say that the claim of the rebel leader that he was 
promised independence by any officer of the United States in return 
for his assistance has no foundation in fact and is categorically denied 
by the very witnesses who were called to prove it. The most the 
insurgent leader hoped for when he came back to Manila was the lib- 
eration of the islands from Spanish control, which they had been labor- 
ing for years without success to throw off. 

THE AMBITION OF AGUINALDO. 

The prompt accomplishment of this work by the American army 
and navy gave him other ideas and ambitions, and insidious suggestions 
from various quarters perverted the purjwses and intentions with which 
he had taken up arms. No sooner had our army captured Manila than 
the Filipino forces began to assume the attitude of suspicion and hos- 
tility which the utmost efforts of our officers and troops were unable 
to disarm or modify. 

Their kindness and forbearance were taken as a proof of cowardice. 
The aggressions of the Filipinos continually increased, until finally, 
just before the time set by the senate of the United States for a vote 
upon the treaty, an attack, evidently prepared in advance, was made 
all along the American lines, which resulted in a terribly destructive 
and sanguinary repulse of the insurgents. 



THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION. 307 



ORDER FOR A MASSACRE. 

Ten days later au order of the insurgent government was issued to 
its adherents who had remained in Manila, of which General Otis justly 
observes that "for barbarous intent it is unequaled in modern times." 

It directs that at 8 o'clock on the night of the luth of February, the 
territorial militia shall come together in the streets of San Pedro, armed 
with their bolos, with guns and ammunition, where convenient; that 
Filipino families only shall be respected; but that all other individuals, 
of whatever race they may be, shall be exterminated without any com- 
passion, after the extermination of the army of occupation, and adds: 

"Brothers, we must avenge ourselves on the Americans and exter- 
minate them, that we may take our revenge for the infamies and treach- 
eries which they have committed upon us. Have no compassion upon 
them; attack with vigor." 

A copy of this fell, by good fortune, into the hands of our officers, 
and they were able to take measures to control the rising, which was 
actually attempted on the night of February 22, a week later than was 
originally contemplated. 

Considerable numbers of armed insurgents entered the city by water- 
ways and swamps, and in concert with confederates inside attempted 
to destroy Manila by fire. They were kept in check during the night 
and the next day driven out of the city with heavy loss. 

WHAT THE COMMISSIONERS FOUND. 

This was the unhappy condition of affairs which confronted our 
commissioners on their arrival in Manila. They had come with the 
hope and intention of co-operating with Admiral Dewey and Major- 
General Otis in establishing peace and order in the archipelago and the 
largest measure of self-government compatible with the true welfare of 
the people. What they actually found can best be set forth in their 
own words: 

"Deplorable as war is, the one in which we are now engaged was 
unavoidable to us. We were attacked by a bold, adventurous, and 
enthusiastic army. No alternative was left to us, except ignominious 
retreat. 

"It is not to be conceived of that any American would have sanc- 
tioned the surrender of Manila to the insurgents. Our obligations to 
other nations and to the friendly Filipinos and to ourselves and our flag 



308 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

demanded that force should be met with force. Whatever the future 
of the Philippines may be, there is no course open to us now except the 
prosecution of the war until the insurgents are reduced to submission. 
The commission is of the opinion that there has been no time since the 
destruction of the Spanish squadron by Admiral Dewey when it was 
possible to withdraw our forces from the islands, either with honor to 
ourselves or with safety to the inhabitants." 

THE REBELLION MUST BE PUT DOWN. 

The course thus clearly indicated has been unflinchingly pursued. 
The rebellion must be put down. Civil government cannot be thor- 
oughly established until order is restored. With a devotion and gal- 
lantry worthy of its most brilliant history the army, ably and loyally 
assisted by the navy, has can'ied on this unwelcome but most righteous 
campaign with richly deserved success. 

The noble self-sacrifice with which our soldiers and sailors, whose 
terms of service had expired, refused to avail themselves of their right 
to return home as long as they were needed at the front, forms one of 
the brightest pages in our annals. 

Although their operations have been somewhat interrupted and 
checked by a rainy season of unusual violence and duration, they have 
gained ground steadily in every direction, and now look forward confi- 
dently to a speedy completion of their task. 

WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION. 

The unfavorable circumstances connected with an active campaign 
have not been permitted to interfere with the equally important work of 
reconstruction. Again I invite your attention to the report of the 
commissioners for the interesting and encouraging details of the work 
already accomplished in the establishment of peace and order and 
the inauguration of self-governing municipal life in many portions of 
the archipelago. 

GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED IN NEGROS. 

A notable beginniug has been made in the establishment of a gov- 
ernment in the island of Negros, which is deserving of special considera- 
tion. This was the first island to accept American sovereignty. Its 
people unreservedly proclaimed allegiance to the United States and 



& 



THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION. 309 

adopted a constitution looking to the establishment of a popular gov- 
ernment. 

It was impossible to guarantee to the people of Negros that the 
constitution so adopted should be the ultimate form of government. 
Such a question, under the treaty with Spain, and in accordance with 
our own constitution and laws, came exclusively within the jurisdiction 
of congress. The government actually set up by the inhabitants of 
Negros eventually proved unsatisfactory to the natives themselves. A 
new system was put into force by order of the major-general command- 
ing the department, of which the following are the most important 
elements: 

It was ordered that the government of the island of Negros should 
consist of a military governor appointed by the United States military 
governor of the Philippines, and a civil governor, and an advisory 
council elected by the people. The military governor was authorized 
to appoint secretaries of the treasury, interior, agriculture, public 
instruction, an attorney-general, and an auditor. The seat of govern- 
ment was fixed at Bacolor, 

The military governor exercises the supreme executive power. He 
is to see that the laws are executed, appoint to office, and fill all vacan- 
cies in office not otherwise provided for, and may, with the approval of 
the military governor of the Philippines, remove any officer from office. 

The civil governor advises the military governor on all public civil 
questions and presides over the advisory council. He in general per- 
forms the duties which are performed by secretaries of state in our 
own system of government. 

The advisory council consists of eight members elected by the people 
within territorial limits which are defined in the order of the command- 
ing general. 

VOTING IN NEGROS. 

The times and places of holding elections are to be fixed by the mili- 
tary governor of the island of Negros. The qualifications of voters are 
as follows: 

1. A voter must be a male citizen of the island of Negros. 2. Of the 
age of 21 years. 3. He shall be able to speak, read, and write the Eng- 
lish, Spanish, or Visayan language, or he must own real property worth 
$500, or pay a rental on real property of the value of |1,000. 4. He 
must have resided in the island not less than one year preceding, and in 
the district in which he offers to register as a voter not less than three 



310 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

months immediately preceding tlie time he ofifers to register. 5. He 
must register at a time fixed by law before voting. 6. Prior to such 
registration he shall have ixiid all taxes due by him to the government; 
provided, that no insane person shall be allowed to register or vote. 

The military governor has the right to veto all bills or resolutions 
adopted by the advisory council, and his veto is final if not disapproved 
by the military governor of the I'hilippines. 

The advisory council discharges all the ordinary duties of a legis- 
lature. The usual duties pertaining to said ofiBces are to be performed 
by the secretaries of the treasurer, interior, agriculture, public instruc- 
tion, the attorney-general, and the auditor. 

The judicial power is vested in three judges, who are to be appointed 
by the military governor of the island. Inferior courts are to be estab- 
lished. 

Free public schools are to be established throughout the populous 
districts of the island, in which the English language shall be taught, 
and this subject will receive the careful consideration of the advisory 
council. 

The burden of government must be distributed equally and equitably 
among the people. The military authorities will collect and receive 
the customs revenue and will control postal matters and Philippine 
inter-island trade and commerce. 

The militarv' governor, subject to the approval of the military gov- 
ernor of the Philippines, determines all questions not specifically pro- 
vided for and which do not come under the jurisdiction of the advisory 
council. 

A FEW ^YOEDS ABOUT SULU. 

The authorities of the Sulu islands have accepted the succession 
of the United States to the rights of Spain, and our flag floats over 
that territory. On the 10th of August, 1899, Brigadier-General J. C. 
Bates, United States Volunteers, negotiated an agreement with the 
sultan and his principal chiefs, which I transmit herewith. By article 
1, the sovereignty of the United States over the whole archipelago of 
Jolo and its dependencies is declared and acknowledged. 

The United States flag will be used in the archipelago and its de- 
pendencies, on land and sea. Piracy is to be suppressed, and the 
sultan agrees to co-operate heartily with the United States authorities 
to that end and to make every possible effort to arrest and bring to 
justice all persons engaged in piracy. 



THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION. 311 

All trade in domestic products of the archipelago of Jolo when 
carried on with any part of the Philippine islands and under the 
American flag shall be free, unlimited and undutiable. The United 
States will give full protection to the sultan in case any foreign nation 
should attempt to impose upon him. 

The United States will not sell the island of Jolo or any other 
island of the Jolo archipelago to any foreign nation without the consent 
of the sultan. Salaries for the sultan and his associates in the admin- 
istration of the islands have been agreed upon to the amount of 1760 
monthly. 

FREEDOM aF SLAVES IN JOLO. 

Article X provides that any slave in the archipelago of Jolo shall 
have the right to purchase freedom by paying to his master the usual 
market value. The agreement by General Bates was made subject 
to confirmation by the president and to future modifications by the con- 
sent of the parties in interest. I have confirmed said agreement, sub- 
ject to the action of the congress, and with the reservation which I 
have directed shall be communicated to the sultan of Jolo, that this 
agreement is not to be deemed in any way to authorize or give the 
consent of the United States to the existence of slavery in the Sulu 
archipelago. I communicate these facts to the congress for its informa- 
tion and action. 

WINNING THE FILIPINOS. 

Everything indicates that with the speedy suppression of the Tagalo 
rebellion life in the archipelago will soon resume its ordinary course 
under the protection of our sovereignty, and the people of those favored 
islands will enjoy a prosperity and a freedom which they have never 
before known. 

Already hundreds of schools are open and filled with children. 

Religious freedom is sacredly assured and enjoyed. 

The courts are dispensing justice. 

Business is beginning to circulate in its accustomed channels. 

Manila, whose inhabitants were fleeing to the country a few months 
ago, is now a populous and thriving mart of commerce. 

The earnest and unremitting endeavors of the commission and the 
admiral and major-general commanding the department of the Pacific 
to assure the people of the beneficent intentions of this government 



312 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

have had their legitimate effect in convincing the great mass of them 
that peace and safety and prosperity and staple government can only 
be found in a loyal acceptance of the authority of the United States. 

FUTURE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES RESTS WITH 

CONGRESS. 

The future government of the Philippines rests with the congress 
of the United States. Few graver responsibilities have ever been con- 
fided to us. 

If we accept them in a spirit worthy of our race and our traditions, 
a great opportunity comes with them. The islands lie under the shelter 
of our flag. They are ours by every title of law and equity. They can 
not be abandoned. 

If we desert them we leave them at once to anarchy and finally to 
barbarism. We fling them, a golden apple of discord, among the rival 
powers, no one of which could permit another to seize them unques- 
tioned. Their rich plains and valleys would be the scene of endless 
strife and bloodshed. 

The advent of Dewey's fleet in Manila bay instead of being, as we 
hope, the dawn of a new day of freedom and progress, will have been 
the beginning of an era of misery and violence worse than any which 
has darkened their unhappy past. 

The suggestion has been made that we could renounce our authority 
over the islands and, giving them independence, could retain a protec- 
torate over them. 

A PROTECTORATE NOT DESIRABLE. 

This proposition will not be found, I am sure, worthy of your serious 
attention. Such an arrangement would involve at the outset a cruel 
breach of faith. It would place the peaceable and loyal majority, who 
ask nothing better than to accept our authority, at the mercy of the 
minority of armed insurgents. It would make us responsible for the 
acts of the insurgent leaders and give us no power to control them. 
It would charge us with the task of protecting them against each other, 
and dt'feuding them against auy foreign power with which they chose 
to quarrel. In short, it would take from the congress of the United 
States the power of declaring war and vest that tremendous preroga- 
tive in the Tagal leader of the hour. 



THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION. 313 

NO RECOMMENDATION FOR A FINAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 

It does not seem desirable that I should recommend at this time a 
specific and final form of government for these islands. When peace 
shall be restored it will be the duty of congress to construct a plan of 
government which shall establish and maintain freedom and order and 
peace in the Philippines. 

The insurrection is still existing, and when it terminates further 
information will be required as to the actual condition of affairs before 
inaugurating a permanent scheme of civil government. The full report 
of the commission, now in preparation, will contain information and 
suggestions which will be of value to congress, and which I will trans- 
mit as soon as it is completed. As long as the insurrection continues 
the military arm must necessarily be supreme. But there is no reason 
why steps should not be taken from time to time to inaugurate gov- 
ernments essentially popular in their form as fast as territory is held 
or controlled by our troops. 

MAY SEND BACK THE COMMISSION. 

To this end I am considering the advisability of the return of the 
commission, or such of the members thereof as can be secured, to aid 
the existing authorities and facilitate this work throughout the islands. 

I have believed that reconstruction should not begin by the estab- 
lishment of one central civil government for all the islands, with its 
seat at Manila, but rather that the work should be commenced by build- 
ing up from the bottom, first establishing municipal governments and 
then provincial governments, a central government at last to follow. 

WILL UPHOLD THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Until congress shall have made known the formal expression of its 
will I shall use the authority vested in me by the constitution and the 
statutes to uphold the sovereignty of the United States in these distant 
islands as in all other places where our flag rightfully floats. 

I shall put at the disposal of the army and navy all the means 
which the liberality of congress and the people have provided to cause 
this unprovoked and wasteful insurrection to cease. 

If any orders of mine were required to insure the merciful conduct 
of military and naval operations, they would not be lacking, but every 



314 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

step of the progress of our troops lias been marked by a humanity 
Avhich has surprised even the misguided insurgents. 

KINDNESS TO FILIPINOS IS IN THE DEFEAT OF AGUINALDO. 

The truest kindness to them will be a swift and effective defeat of 
their present leader. The hour of victory will be the hour of clemency 
and reconstruction. 

No effort will be spared to build up the waste places desolated by 
war and by long years of misgovernment. ^ye shall not wait for the 
end of strife to begin the beneficent work. We shall continue, as we 
have begun, to open the schools and the churches, to set the courts in 
operation, to foster industry, and trade, and agriculture, and in every 
Avay in our power to make these people whom Providence has brought 
Avithiu our jurisdiction feel that it is their liberty and not our power, 
their welfare and not our gain, we are seeking to enchance. 

OUR FLAG EVER WAVES IN BLESSING. 

Our flag has never waved over any community but in blessing. I 
believe the Filipinos will soon recognize the fact that it has not lost its 
gift uf benediction in its world-wide journey to their shores. 




UNITED STATES VOLUNTEER IN FULL MAKCHlNfi ORDER. 




GENERAL FREDERICK FUNSTON 

FAMOUS FOR HIS CHARGE ON THE TRENCHES OF THE INSURGENTS 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

FREDERICK FUNSTON. 

Like many other men of prominence in our day Frederick Funston 
is a native of tlie State of Oliio. He was born in New Castle, county 
of Clark, on November 9th, 1SC5. His grandfather, Frederick Fuuston, 
was Scotch-Irish and had come to this country in ISOO, settling in Paris, 
Kentucky, from whence he removed to Clark county, Ohio. In 1823 he 
married Julia Stafford, a Virginian by birth. Among the children of 
this marriage is EdAvard Hogan Funston, born September IGth, 1836, 
who is the father of General Frederick Funston. After his school life 
in New Castle Academy and Marietta College he devoted his time to 
farming until the Civil War, when he went to the front as senior second 
lieutenant in a battery of artillery. Just before his regiment went 
south he married the cousin of his Captain, Miss Ann E. Mitchell, of 
Ohio. Her father was a Virginian by birth and her great-grandmother 
was a sister of Daniel Boone. With such blood in his veins it is not 
strange that the martial spirit of the war for the Union should live 
and show itself in the present generation. 

After an honorable war record Edward Funston returned home and 
shortly afterward removed to Allen county, Kansas. He has served 
his State for four terms in the Legislature, and for eleven years as 
representative from the Second Kansas district in the national Con- 
gress. Ex-Congressman Funston is quite a contrast to his son Fred- 
erick, in physique. The father is almost a giant; while the son strongly 
resembles his mother in his diminutive stature of five feet four inches, 
and his wiry constitution. General Funston is so erect and well pro- 
portioned, so quick in step and gesture that one would not guess that 
he weighed less than one hundred pounds. Nor has his stature and 
frame dwarfed his ambition and attainments. 

EARLY LIFE. 

Born on a Kansas prairie and trained in the practical schools of 
poverty, young Funston started out in life with a large capital consist- 
ing of brains and perseverance. 

315 



316 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

This plucky little Westerner did not come into the world to be the 
victim of circumstances, on the contrary, he rides fearlessly to the front, 
driving the enemy before him, and snatching victory from the very 
jaws of defeat. 

He left the Kansas farm where he was born while still in his teens 
and went to Mexico, where he picked up a knowledge of Spanish which 
he found useful some years later. 

SERVICES IN THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 

As a college boy at Lawrence young Funston was not brilliant nor 
dull. He was restless, enthusiastic and intelligent and soon took great 
interest in the department under Dr. Snow, now chancellor of the Uni- 
versity, which has sent out hundreds of expeditions in its researches in 
the realm of natural history. As a student Funston joined many of 
these collecting expeditions and became familiar with the camp and 
trail, so that before he left school he was an expert in work of this 
character. 

He was not an extraordinary boy except in his willingness to do 
all the work desired of him on the farm and in the home, and his vora- 
cious appetite for books and papers, which he devoured during his 
leisure hours when the farm work was done. He thus stored his mind 
with facts of all kinds, which often served him and others well. Often 
his father relied on him for the data and statistics of his campaign 
speeches, and on one occasion, in the rush of a heated campaign he 
came to his son's bedside, waked him and asked him for England's 
attitude toward her colonies in the wool-growing trade. Without hesi- 
tation he gave the facts and cited the books where the information 
could be confirmed. 

UNIVERSITY LIFE. 

In his early twenties he entered the State University. This was 
fourteen years ago, and he remained here a goodly portion of his time 
for five years. The vacations were sometimes long, for ho was com- 
pelled to earn the money which he invested in mental culture. 

During these enforced vacations he seemed to be willing to do almost 
anything that would bring a good financial reward. In 1888 he became 
a Santa Fe train collector, and at different times his route lay all the 
way from Kansas City to Albuquerque, and even south to the Gulf of 
Mexico. His duties on the Santa Fe sometimes included that of "train 



FREDERICK FUNSTON. 317 

bouncer" as well as collector, and he was often placed in positions where 
his pluck and courajie stood him in good stead, and compensated very 
largely for his lack of physical development. 

Another method to which he resorted to pay his expenses at the 
university was newspaper work. With the audacity of the typical 
American boy, he went into the office of a Kansas City paper and coolly 
asked for a position as a reporter, though he knew scarcely anything 
of the work which would be required of him. The editor consented to 
let him try, and found that "good stuff" was furnished for his columns. 

Funston is an easy writer and his work has appeared in some of the 
leading periodicals, but he was not a brilliant scholar and never received 
a high mark in his class work. His uncontrollable spirit of fun, which 
helps so largely in making life endurable under adverse circumstances, 
made his presence at the university more or less of a cross to the faculty, 
and some of his professors still bear the nicknames which he was the 
first to apply to them. 

It is to be feared that he spent more time in reading the poetry and 
fiction which he found in the university library than he did with his 
text books, but his farm work had been of good service in various forms 
of manual training, and he had made himself familiar with all the fire- 
arms in the country store. 

He seemed to have a natural liking for nuts and bolts, and his 
knowledge of machinery served a good purpose when he was made a 
commandant of artillery under Garcia. 

FUNSTON'S STUDENT DAYS. 

INTERESTING REMINISCENCES OF HIS COLLEGE LIFE. 

"I went to school with Fred Funston," said Mr. C. P. Ames of Lin- 
coln, Nebraska. "We were fellow scholars at the old Lawrence univer- 
sity at Lawrence, Kan., in 1884. Fred was about nineteen then. So I 
take it that he is now in the neighborhood of thirty-four. I entered the 
freshman class when he was a junior, but class lines were not very dis- 
tinctly drawn then socially, and we got to be great friends. As I remem- 
ber him in those days he was a thin, sickly looking little fellow, homely 
as a rail fence and covered with freckles. He was overflowing with 
spirits, however, and really had a cast iron constitution. 

"When Funston arrived at the university, he was given a rather 
severe hazing, which he took at the outset with great good nature, but 
when they tried to strip him for a ducking in the bathtub, which was 



318 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

part of the ceremony, he wriggled loose, darted into the hall and led 
the whole crowd a merry chase all over the dormitory. They raised 
such a racket that several professors were aroused, and there was the 
deuce to pay generally. Anyhow, Fred was never ducked, and after that 
was a leader in practical jokes himself. 

"One of the preceptors was very nervous, and Funston had great 
fun with him by pretending he had an impediment in his speech. When 
asked a difficult question, he would go into hideous contortions, appa- 
rently trying to get out the answer, and the professor, infuriated, would 
pass it on to the next. Altogether, however, he was a good student and 
a downright good fellow. The last time I saw him he was lecturing, 
just before he got his commission in the volunteers. He was doing well, 
but he was restless and discontented, and I am sure that he is at present 
in exactly his element." 

NEWSPAPER REPORTER. 

After leaving the university, Funston again took up newspaper 
work, first at Fort Smith, and later on the Kansas City Journal. While 
here Funston was court reporter, and came in close contact with Judge 
Parker, whose record as a criminal judge has no equal. It seemed to 
be his mission to exterminate the desperadoes of the Indian Territory, 
over which he held jurisdiction. In the twenty-one and a half years 
that he sat as judge, he condemned to death one hundred and fifty mur- 
derers, and imprisoned a like proportion. 

He was frequently in Judge Parker's library, and discussed man^ of 
the trials with him. In this way he became familiar witli unruly people 
and learned to study the habits and customs of certain classes whose 
ways are incompatible with modern civilization. His newspaper work 
was, however, comparatively brief, and his restless spirit sought new 
fields of labor. 

On leaving the university, he took the civil service examination, 
obtained a position in the Agricultural Department at Washington, 
under General Jeremiah Rusk, the Secretary, and was sent to Montana 
and the Dakotas to make a botanical collection of grasses. This uncon- 
ventional life had a peculiar fascination for him, as there was a large 
amount of adventure to be found in occasional hunting parties which 
were composed mostly of cowboys. Ho has always enjoyed outdoor life 
which is more or less mixed with danger, and his boyish spirit still 
triumphs over the hardships of camp and battlefield. Funston after- 



FREDERICK FUNSTON. 319 

wards became a member of the ill-fated expedition which made the fii-st 
official survey of Death Valley in Southern California. The danger of 
this serious undertaking can hardly be overestimated, as is shown by 
the fact that all of his comrades are either dead or insane. 

This valley is a depression in the earth's surface, two hundred feet 
below the level of the sea, seventy-five miles long and comprising a thou- 
sand square miles or more. Snow-white alkali, blistered rocks, volcanic 
refuse, scarred and vitrified; and vast reaches of sand, scorching hot, 
make the physical formation. What life there is of the vegetable or 
animal kingdom is of the most horrid sort. Water and food there are 
none. Here Funston and his companions worked for nine months col- 
lecting specimens, measuring and mapping the region, occasionally 
going up into the neighboring mountains for a cool breath of air and 
recuperation. Tlere Funston recorded the highest temperature ever 
measured by a government agent; as later, in Alaska, not, however, in 
order to strike a good general average, he recorded the lowest. 

ALASKAN EXPERIENCES. 

In 1891-2 the government sent him to Alaska to make a botanical 
survey of a portion of the coast, and in 1893 he made a second and last 
trip to the far north, this time to collect and classify the flora on the 
banks of the Yukon. 

The trail over Chilkoot Pass is familiar now to many who have 
toiled over the weary route, but in 1893 the way was known only to 
Indian guides and a few daring miners. There were two pioneer gold 
hunters with Funston and his Indian guides when they went up the 
Pass and over to the Yukon. The snow had fallen incessantly for sev- 
eral days, and progress through it was almost impossible. Perhaps it 
was little wonder that the guides "struck" one day, and the leader 
claimed that unless a much greater reward was forthcoming, they 
would return at once to the village from whence they came. 

But Funston remonstrated with him most vigorously, and empha- 
sized his remarks with a loaded Winchester held within a few feet 
of the Indian's face. The leader of the strike thereupon took up his 
load with the best grace he could, and the little party went on through 
the snow. 

The young botanist went down the Yukon to the mouth of the Por- 
cupine river, and up the Porcupine as far as Rampart House, which was 
a deserted trading post belonging to the Hudson Bay Company. 



320 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

While here, bis companions were a missionary by the name of Trotty, 
and a few books which he had carried over this terrible journey of a 
thousand miles — carried them in his little pack where every pound of 
weight became almost unendurable before the day's tramp was done. 

In the midst of that long Arctic winter, the Indians brought a rumor 
to the effect that a whaling fleet was being crushed to pieces in the 
ice of the Northern sea, about two hundred miles to the northward. 
Then the reckless spirit of adventure got the advantage of the young 
man's judgment, and with an Indian for a guide, he started off on snow- 
shoes, in the long darkness of the Arctic winter, to find the fleet. It 
was only two hundred miles in a direct line, it is true, but the guide 
lost his bearings, and they wandered nearly four hundred miles out of 
their way. 

Their food supply was exhausted and they had decided to eat the 
faithful dogs of their pack train, when they met a band of Indian 
hunters who were carrying freshly killed moose and caribou to the ice- 
bound fleet. 

The story of the destruction of the whaling ships had proved to be 
a fabrication, but when Funston arrived he was very nearly the hero 
of a romance, as well as a most welcome guest. 

He was feasted and dined to his heart's content, while he gave the 
men the latest news he had from the States. 

When he returned to Rampart House, his weary feet had covered 
a journey of nearly nine hundred miles, and he longed for home and 
civilization. As soon as possible he made his preparations for depart- 
ure, and when the snows melted and the grasses began to grow, he 
came down the Porcupine to the river's mouth, and then, alone, in an 
open boat, he drifted slowly down the Yukon, making a botanical col- 
lection of the flora upon its banks until he reached the Behriug Sea. 

On his return from Alaska, Funston collected a little money by 
delivering lectures in Kansas. With these funds he visited Mexico and 
Central America in search of a location for a coffee plantation. Having 
selected his land, he returned home to raise the capital necessary for the 
enterprise. He was successful in Kansas City, but when he came to 
New York to interest capitalists there he was too modest and not 
enough of a liar to induce men to risk their money. While he was still 
talking coffee to New York financiers, he entered the employ of the 
'Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, as deputy comp- 
troller, to help issue the new securities of the reorganized company, and 
if some of the holders will examine these certificates thev will find the 



FREDERICK FUNSTON. 321 

signature of the hero of many adventures and battles in Cuba and 
Luzon. 

CUBAN EXPERIENCES. 

One day Funston announced that he had enlisted in the Cuban army. 
He packed his kit again, and sailed away in the "Dauntless." To casual 
acquaintances, he went to the tropics, merely as a newspaper corres- 
pondent, but to intimate friends he confided the fact that he was going 
to fight for Cuban independence. 

His name was enrolled among Garcia's men, and very shortly he 
was made the commandant of artillery, but when he got into the thick 
of the fight, he forgot his duties as correspondent. It was only after 
he returned to New York, wounded and emaciated, that his newspaper 
instinct was again aroused, and in the winter of 1897 he again com- 
menced literary work. 

WAR EXPERIENCES. 

When our war with Spain broke out. Governor Leedy made Funston 
a Colonel, and he was placed at the head of the Twentieth Kansas Vol- 
unteers. 

When the regiment was encamped near San Francisco they were 
still without uniforms, and the reporters waxed merry over their un- 
soldierly appearauce; the prairie boys were accused of verdancy and 
ignorance, but the truth is, there was not an illiterate man in the regi- 
ment, and nearly all of the commanding officers held degrees from 
colleges or universities. 



-&^ 



FUNSTON AND THE REGULAR ARMY MEN. 

A writer in Harper's Weekly tells the following anecdotes: The 
young Colonel knew very little of tactics, and when he was called to 
Tampa to consult with General Miles concerning the topography of 
certain portions of Cuba, he persisted in wearing civilian's clothes. 
When he was asked why he did not wear his uniform, he replied: "I 
would look pretty, wouldn't I, wearing a Colonel's rig when all around 
me are genuine soldiers — men who have fought their way up from 
the line in the regular army — men who have been in the civil war, and 
a score of Indian fights, and still have only the right to wear a captain's 
or, at most, a major's uniform. Would I lot men like those salute me 
in my tin-soldier clothes? Well, I guess not." 



323 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 



SPEECHES TO THE REGIMENT. 

Although he had to learu a portion of his tactics as ho went along, 
Funston was careful in his drill, and would brook no carelessness in his 
men. His speeches to them were characterized by directness and sim- 
j)licity; for instance, he said one day: "I have noticed that some of you 
are getting sloppy in your manuers. When you meet a superior officer, 
you sort of brush a fly off your ear, and go on. Now, hereafter, you 
just quit brushing flies, and salute." 

COMMANDANT OF ARTILLERY. 

Early In his experience, Funston was given charge of a dynamite 
gun — the first that had been used in actual warfare. He knew very 
little of the big guns and nothing whatever of this one, but he looked 
them carefully over, took some of them apart and put them together 
again, and on the dynamite, he was fortunate enough to find some 
printed directions which had been placed there by the maker and he 
memorized them; when called into action he followed the directions 
as well as he could, but he was as much surprised as any one when he 
hit the Spanish fort, and the logs and debris flew around the hole he 
had made. In speaking of his success, he said: "No one knew that I 
had just finished making four or five kinds of a fool of myself, and after 
they had set 'em up in the other alley, we rolled 'em again." 

CLOSE QUARTERS. 

While at Tampa, some of the officers of the regular army questioned 
Funston i« relation to his range with the artillery. He replied with 
boyish candor that he pulled his guns up within four or five hundred 
yards of his mark before firing. The older officei-s smiled, and received 
his stories afterward with a goodly degree of allowance. 

It was long after this that some Spaniards, who were taken prisoners 
at Santiago, told about "a little Yankee" wluf was fighting under Garcia, 
the year before, and poked the nose of his guns so close to the fortifi- 
cations that his powder burned their eyebrows. Then the army men 
laughed, and thought of the plucky little gunner whose story they had 
ridiculed. 



FREDERICK FUNSTON. 333 



HIS MARRIAGE. 



One day Colonel Funston met a pretty California girl, and in a few 
days he had surrendered to Eda Blankert. He urged his suit with all 
the energy and persistence for which he was noted, and at the end of 
six weeks they were married. But the regiment was under marching 
orders, and the wedding trip was only a short walk, aud then the bride- 
groom sailed away with his regiment. His bride followed him on the 
steamer which sailed a month later, aud joined him iu the Philippines. 

BRAVERY OF THE KANSAS REGIMENTS. 

The Kansas regiments are no better than many others who are and 
have been hghtiug under the Stars and Stripes, but they are composed 
of men of whom their country is justly proud, and when the contest 
began in the Philippines, the Twentieth Kansas was in the front of the 
fight. The impetuous Colonel had his men so close to the enemy that 
they had to be called back a thousand yards to keep the firing line 
straight. The regiment was the first in Caloocan and first at Malolos; 
but it was at the crossing of the Rio Grande river that he and his men of 
the Twentieth Kansas particularly distinguished themselves by effect- 
ing a crossing of the river in the very face of the enemy's trenches. The 
enthusiastic men were glad to follow their boyish Colonel when he 
asked for men to swim the river with him. 

FUNSTON'S FAMOUS EXPLOIT. 

The story of the wonderful daring of Funston and his heroic men 
is best told in his own language: 

"In the advance from Malolos a conspicuous part was played by the 
armored train, and the infantry of Wheaton's brigade had little to do, 
save when a number of Montana men and one company of Kansans, 
under cover of fire from the armored car, advanced and occupied the 
bank of the Bagbag River. 

Twelve men of the Kansans charged across the broken bridge while 
it was still under fire from the enemy, jumped into the river and swam 
to the other side, when all that were left of the enemy fled. The bridge 
was repaired by the engineers during the day, and the next day the 
brigade advanced to the Rio Grande de Pampanga, the second largest 
river in Luzon Island. It was found here that the large railroad bridge 
of three hundred and fifty feet span had been almost destroyed. 



324 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

I obtained permission from Generals Wheaton and MacArthur to 
attempt to carry this bridge by assault, but was told to attempt it only 
with men who would volunteer for that special duty. I sent Corporal 
Fergus on to reconnoiter the bridge, an especially hazardous under- 
taking with the enemy entrenched in force at the other end. 

DARING OF A CORPORAL. 

He not only succeeded in reaching our end of the bridge, but, under 
cover of darkness, crawled along on the ironwork, where the floor of the 
bridge had been cleared away, to the other end, and under the insurgent 
outpost. He had nothing but his revolver. 

He came back, and reported that at the other end of the bridge there 
was nothing but one steel girder three inches wide on which to walk, 
and this precluded the possibility of storming the bridge. 

The enemy was intrenched all along the opposite bank of the river 
in considerable force, and had three pieces of artillery and one Maxim 
gun, which they used liberally, but without hurting any of us. 

At noon of the 29th I concluded to attempt to force the passage of 
the river six hundred yards below the railroad bridge. A raft had been 
left on our side of the river. This we cut up into three small rafts. I 
again called for volunteers to swim the river. This was an extra hazard- 
ous undertaking, because the river was deep and wide, and the current 
strong, and where a man swam he would be exposed to the fire of the 
enemy intrenched all along from the bridge down to the point of 
crossing. 

We stationed men who were known to be good shots along the south 
bank of the river to protect the flank, and Lieutenant Fleming brought 
up a Hotchkiss revolving cannon. With this we opened fire on the 
trenches of the enemy, sweeping the tops. 

BRAVERY OF TWO VOLUNTEERS. 

A number of men volunteered to swim the river, but only two were 
needed. These two were Privates Trembley and White. These men 
took a rope in their teeth and swam across the river together, reaching 
the shore twenty-five feet from one of the enemy's intrenchments. 

They were naked and had no arms. They kept under cover of the 
bank as well as they could, our men on the other side firing over them 
in volleys and the Hotchkiss also being used. As soon as the enemy 
heard our two men talking they jumped up and began to run out. fifteen 



FREDERICK FUNSTON. 325 

leaving this trench. Some of them were shot by our men on the south 
bank as they ran. 

Meanwhile the men could not find anything to tie the end of the 
rope to more convenient than one of the upright posts of the insurgent 
trench, so one of them worked himself up, hand over hand, and, making 
a noose, slipped it over the post within six feet of three armed insurgents 
on the other side of the trench. After the rope had been secured, we 
began to cross. 

I never "cuss" a man unnecessarily myself, and I never allow an 
officer to do it. I always treat the men as if they were human beings, 
and they appreciate it. There is a strong regimental pride, which I 
have never known the regiment to break under fire, and I have not 
known of any individual "flunks." I have never called for volunteers 
for anything extraordinary or hazardous that I have not had more men 
than I could use. 

ANOTHER BRIEF ACCOUNT. 

In a private letter written by General Funston at Malolos, May 13, 
1899, we have another succinct version of the stirring deed told in his 
characteristic style: 

"I am here in town against my will, but in accordance with the very 
strong advice of a medical sage, nursing my left hand, which had a 
disagi'eement with a Mauser bullet, and thanking my lucky stars that 
it was no worse. * * * 

"I suppose you would like to know about the Rio Grande affair of 
April 27, which seems to have brought me a brigadier's star, but it is 
a long story. You probably got it pretty fully in the dispatches, but 
as yet we do not know how correctly. General MacArthur has been 
good enough to say that he does not believe the feat our Kansas men 
performed has a parallel in the history of wars as a desperate under- 
taking carried through successfully absolutely without loss. It beat 
anything in Kipling ten times over, and gave 'The Arabian Nights' a 
severe shock. An attempt to portray it on the stage would be called 
badly overworked melodrama and utterly impossible. And this is not 
bragging; only giving facts. 

"It was worth ten years of ordinary humdrum existence to see those 
forty-five Jayhawkers, after they had crossed the river on rafts, drive 
a thousand or more well armed men out of their elaborate intrench- 
ments by firing into them from the rear. And you should have heard 
them chaff and jeer when the 'goo-goos' turned on them at 300 yards' 



326 SPLENDID DEEDS ON SEA AND LAND. 

range a Maxim gun firing 1,200 shots a minute — and you should have 
seen that Maxim go out of business when our fellows turned loose 
on it. If the chap who worked that murderous machine had kept his 
nerve better there would not half a dozen of us have got out of the 
thiug alive. * * * 

"On general principles I am not an expansionist, but I believe that 
since we were, by an unfortunate train of circumstances, thrown into 
this thing, we should stay with it to the bitter end, and rawhide these 
bullet-headed Asiatic ruffians until they yell for mercy. And after the 
war I want the job of professor of American history in Luzon Uni- 
versity, when they build it — and I'll warrant that the new generation 
of Filipinos will know better than to get in the way of the band wagon 
of Anglo-Saxon progress and decency. 

"Metcalf, the new colonel of the Twentieth, is a brave and efficient 
officer and will keep the regiment up to its old standard. Most of the 
officers of the regiment have shown up splendidly.'' 

INCIDENTS. 

One man hailed another a short time since in Lincoln, Nebraska. 
He said: 

"So you're from Kansas? And you used to know Fred Funston? 
Well, well! Great fellow, that Funston. I wish I knew him. In- 
clined to be diminutive physically, I understand, and they say he has 
auburn hair?" 

"Well, yes, I believe they do say he's diminutive now, and mebby 
auburn's the right name fer the color of his hair; but us boys never 
used to call him anything but 'Shorty' and 'Reddy.' " 

A brave soldier lad wrote to his home at Abilene, Kansas, from 
Malolos as follows: 

"We have taken Calumpit, and it was Colonel Funston's fight from 
stkrt to finish. After the enemy was routed General Wheaton was seen 
to put his arms around Colonel Funston and praise him for his good 
work. Funston is the best colonel in the Philijtpines. All the boys 
have such confidence in him that they would follow him anywhere. 

"After we had charged the niggers and driven them back I actually 
was so tired I could not have moved out of the way of a bullet. Then 
came a heavy rain which lasted all night. Some were lucky enough to 
get hay to sleep on, but I slept on the bare ground. Several times I 
awoke in the rain and then I thought 'this is the way father used to 
have to do,' and then I would go back to sleep contented." 



GENERAL HENRY W. LAWTON. 337 

GENERAL HENRY W. LAWTON. 

This distinguished officer was born in Manhattan, near Toledo, Ohio, 
and his parents almost immediatelj^ removed to Maumee City, Ohio, 
where he spent his boyhood. He began his fighting career when he 
was 19. That was at the very beginning of the Civil War. He was 
enrolled at Fort Wayne, Ind., on April 18, 1861, and mustered into the 
service at Indianapolis five days later. His first rank was that of ser- 
geant, and at the end of three months he was mustered out to re-enter 
the army as a lieutenant. 

His record in the Civil War was of the first order. He was brevetted 
colonel "for gallant and meritorious services during the war," and in 
1896 Congress — though a little tardy — voted him a medal of honor "for 
distinguished gallantry" in the battle of Atlanta. 

The fighting he had done as a volunteer inspired him with the am- 
bition to adopt arms as his profession. He had the advantage of youth, 
denied to many volunteers who wished to enter the regular service. 

Young Lawton was appointed in 1866 second lieutenant of the Forty- 
first Infantry and full lieutenant just one year thei-eafter. In 1879 he 
was made a captain and transferred to the Fourth Cavalry. He was 
advanced slowly to the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel and inspector 
general, which post he held until the beginning of the Spanish war, 
when he was placed at the head of a division of volunteers which he 
commanded in Cuba, and with which he challenged the praise of the 
world by his dashing work in the Cuban campaign under General 
Shaffer. 

Hitherto his luck in battle had been marvelous. He had been in 
hundreds of skirmishes and midnight attacks. He was regarded as a 
man of action and of splendid courage, but was not considered reckless. 
He never exposed his men without due consideration of the risks and 
the stake. His men knew this and would unhesitatingly follow his 
lead under what seemed to be the most desperate conditions. 

The Indians came to know him as the most active, vigilant, wary and 
determined of foes, and his pursuit and capture of Geronimo, the famous 
Apache chieftain, has gone down to history as one of the most remark- 
able campaigns ever undertaken with the small force in hand. 

General Miles picked out Lawton to lead the chase after the Indian 
chief, and for three months, day and night, without a pause, through 
all sorts of vicissitudes of Aveather and pereonal suffering, Lawton hung 



328 GENERAL HENRY W. LAWTON. 

on the trail like a bloodhound until the game was run to earih, and for 
the first time in a quarter of a century southeastern Arizona was 
pacified. 

When General Lawton went to Cuba he led the division that was the 
first to land on Cuban soil, and Lawton's name soon began to figure 
prominently in the dispatches from the front. 

One of the army officers who was vrith the General during the Cuban 
campaign speaks thus of his bravery: 

"Chi the morning of July 1, General Lawton was sent with a force of 
about 5,000 men to take El Caney, while the balance of the troops were 
to be engaged at San Juan. As dusk fell after the first day's fighting 
we viewed with alarm the thin blue line which surrounded San Juan. 

"Many of us, tired out with the long, hot day's work, having broken 
camp that morning at 3 o'clock, fell asleep on the damp hillside of San 
Juan, trying to gain a few moments' rest before the struggle which we 
knew was inevitable the next day. 

"Grave doubts were expressed if we could hold our position against 
the Spaniards, and it will be remembered that there was a consultation 
of officers, at which it was suggested that our troops should be with- 
drawn, a plan which was violently opposed by General Wheeler and 
others. 

"About midnight we were awakened with the pleasing intelligence 
that General Lawton had captured El Caney with a very small loss, I 
tliink five, and that he was rapidly moving to join our right, which 
would be done by daybreak. 

"This he accomplished, and it is doubtful save for this if our 
troops could have held their position. Our joy was somewhat tempered 
by the fact that General Lawton's loss at El Caney was much heavier 
than at first reported. 

"A day or two after the battle, one of the officers of General Lawton's 
staff told me of the General's famous white helmet, which seems to 
have been the cause of his death near Manila. He said that during the 
battle of El Caney the tall form of General Lawton with his white 
helmet was a most conspicuous object while directing the movements 
of the troops. 

"Then, as was afterward the case in the Philippines, he was thus a 
target for the enemy's bullets, but undisturbed and unprotected he stood 
while the bullets pattered like bail about him. 

"One or two of his staff officers begged him to lie down, as he was 
drawing the fire of the enemy, but it never seemed to ocGur to him that 



GENERAL HENRY IV. LAU'TON. 339 

he would be hit, and he characteristically remarked to these officers that 
if any of them cared about lying down they could do so, and many of 
them did so while Lawton remained erect. 

"And there the staff had to remain exposed to a galling fire as the 
enemy's sharpshooters continued to select General Lawton's white hel- 
met as a mark." 

A staff officer, who was present at the occurrence, tells of the order 
sent by General Shatter to General Lawton to withdraw his troops from 
El Cauey, a proceeding which would have been disastrous to our forces. 
He narrates that as General Lawton stood directing the troops an aide 
from the staff of General Shatter rode up and said: 

"General Lawton, General Shatter directs you to withdraw your 
troops." 

"At first General Lawton was nonplussed; then, turning to the aide, 
he said: 'This is too serious an order to be received verbally and I shall 
require it in writing from General Shatter.' He well knew that General 
Shatter was eight miles in the rear and that a written order from him 
could not be received before the charge was ordered. This much is a 
matter of history, but I do not believe that the whole story has been 
told. 

"General Lawton, knowing that the aide would soon reduce the order 
to writing, immediately sent orders to his officers to charge. The aide 
returned in about twenty minutes with the written order, having only 
retired a short distance to write, and he delivered it to General Lawton 
just as the whole American force stormed across the field in that last 
desperate, successful attempt to take El Caney. When he handed the 
written order to the General, Lawton pointed to the charging troops 
and said: 'As you see, the troops have already commenced to charge. 
Tell General Shaffer nothing can stop them now.' 

"Thus the capture of El Caney was due to General Lawton's perse- 
verance under difficulties." 

RECORD IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Ou General Lawton's arrival at Manila he relieved General Ander- 
son, in command of the regular troops. He captured Santa Cruz, at the 
extreme end of the lake, near Manila, April 10. This place, which was a 
Filipino stronghold, fdl into the hands of General Lawton's expedition 
after some sharp fighting, which formed one of the most interesting 
battles of the war. 

General Lawton and his staff accompanied the troops, sometimes 



330 GENERAL HENRY W. LAWTON. 

leading charges in Indian fighting tactics, which eventually resulted in 
the complete rout of the rebels. 

The General's next hard fighting took place in his attack on San 
Eafael, where the American troops were met with a heavy fire from 
a large number of rebels who were concealed in the jungle on all sides. 

Only the adoption by General Lawton of the tactics followed in 
Indian fighting in the United States, every man for himself, saved the 
division from great loss. 

As usual, General Lawton was at the head of his line with his staff. 

After the capture of Isidro by General Lawton, President McKinley 
sent him the following dispatch: 

"To Otis, Manila: — Convey to General Lawton and the gallant men 
of his command my congratulations upon the successful operations 
during the past month, resulting in the capture this morning of San 
Isidro. William McKinley." 

It was announced June 1 that General LaA\'ton had been placed in 
command of the defense of Manila and the troops forming the line 
around that city. Early in October General Lawton was engaged in 
dispersing the insurgents and cutting off the communication main- 
tained by them between Bacoor and Imus by means of the road between 
those places. 

He was successful in clearing the country of Filipinos and was sev- 
eral times under fire. He then pushed northward, captured a number 
of towns and di-ove the insurgents everywhere before him. 

General Lawton and General Young arrived at Arayat October 19, 
with a force of about 3,000 men. He next made his headquarters at 
Cabauatuan and took an active part in dispersing the insurgent bands 
in different parts of the country. 

About the middle of November the whereabouts of General Lawton 
and General Young, on account of the rapidity of their movements, 
became almost as mysterious as those of Aguinaldo. General Lawton's 
troops suffered considerable hardship in this series of energetic move- 
ments. 

Numbers of the soldiers and even some of the officers were described 
as marching ahead half-naked, their clothes being torn to shreds in 
getting through the jungles. Hundreds of them were barefooted, and 
all of them were living on any sort of provisions. Bread was rare and 
Caracao meat and bananas were the staples. 



MAJOR JOHN A. LOGAN. 331 

The General was at Tayaug on December 1, his troops having cap- 
tured large quantities of insurgents' supplies. Later he returned to 
Manila, and started to capture San Mateo. While standing in front of 
his troops he was shot in the breast, on December IS, 1S99, and died 
immediately. 

The sad information of the General's death was conveyed to the War 
Department while instructions were being carried out from the Presi- 
dent to prepare his commission as a brigadier general in the regular 
army, 

GENERAL LAWTON'S MESSAGE. 

On Friday evening, December 22, 1899, John Barrett, Ex-United 
States Minister to Siam, read the following letter from General Lawtou. 
It was written while he was at the front and but a short time before 
he died: 

"I would to God that the whole truth of this whole Philippine situa- 
tion could be known by epery one in America as I know it. 

"If the real history, inspiration, and conditions of this insuiTection, 
and the influences, local and external, that now encourage the enemy, 
as well as the actual possibilities of these islands and peoples and their 
relations to this great East, could be understood at home, we would 
hear no more talk of unjust 'shooting of government' into the Filipinos, 
or of hauling down our flag in the Philippines. 

"If the so-called anti-imperialists would honestly ascertain the truth 
on the ground and not in distant America, they, whom I believe to be 
honest men misinformed, would be convinced of the error of their state- 
ments and conclusions, and of the unfortunate effect of their publica- 
tions here. 

"If I am shot by a Filipino bullet it might as well come from one 
of my own men, because I know from observations, confirmed by cap- 
tured prisoners, that the continuance of fighting is chiefly due to reports 
that are sent out from America." 



MAJOR JOHN A. LOGAN. 

This gallant officer, whose father was the famous General John A. 
Logan, the typical volunteer soldier and the idol of the troops whom 
he commanded, and whose surviving mother, Mrs. Mary S. Logan, is 
revered by every Grand Army veteran, was killed in action in the Philip- 
pines Nov. 11, 1899. 



332 MAJOR JOHN A. LOGAN. 

The storj- of his sad death is narrated in a letter written bj Dr. B. 
Albert Lieberman, major and surgeon of the Thirty-third United States 
Infantry. (Major Logan's regiment.) 

The letter is dated San Fabian, Luzon, November 12, 1899, and is 
written to Dr. Lieberman's father, Kansas City, Missouri. He says: 

"As I wrote you day before yesterday that we were to attack a town, 
I will now tell you that we did it, and, although we whipped them, the 
cost was severe, the killed including Major Logan, 

"We left here at 7 A. M., and marched about two or three miles, when 
we ran into the enemy, who were in houses, rice fields, and tops of trees 
along the road, and in intrenchments without end. 

"Corporal Robinson in the advance was wounded by the first volley. 
Major Logan in passing him stopped and asked him if he had a first aid 
package, and was shot through the head just above the temples. 

"I was only a short distance behind, and I called to my acting hos- 
pital steward, Mercier, and we went forward to him. I took Major 
Logan's head and Mercier his feet, so as to move him, when poor Mercier 
was shot through the heart from a tree under which Major Logan was. 

I looked up and saw the fellow about fifteen feet above me, and, 
drawing my revolver, I shot him, and he fell from the tree. 

"Then, right at that spot, several others were killed or wounded, and 
when I established my dressing station at that place the sharpshooters 
in the tree tops made things very lively for us until a detail of men 
cleaned out the tree tops. One hundred and fifty natives were killed, 
and fifty prisoners and about two hundred guns captured. 

"The road was something terrible, as it had been raining; the rice 
fields were like lakes, the streams were greatly swollen, and the bridges 
destroyed, so that we had to ford or swim all of them. The natives all 
had Mausers, and they knew how to handle them. The battle lasted 
about three and one-half hours. General Wheaton to-day sent us a let- 
ter of congratulation on our victory, the biggest one since the war 
started." 

Major Logan died in a manner worthy of the son of such a sire and 
such a mother. 

The President sent a telegram of sympathy to the wife of Major 
Logan, expressing his regret for her brave husband, and also conveyed 
to Mrs. Logan his appreciation of the services of her noble son and deep 
regret at his death. 



REPORT OF' PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. 333 



THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE FILIPINO WAR. 

The future historian will tell of the important services rendered the 
American army in the Philippines by Generals T. M. Anderson, F. V. 
Greene, Wesley Merritt, Arthur MacArthur, E. S. Otis, H. G. Otis, 
Charles King, M. P. Miller, H. W. Lawtou, Lloyd Wheaton, J. C. Bates, S. 
B. M. Young, T, Schwan, with the other brave officers of the eighty-two 
expeditions sent out to subdue the rebellion in our sea island posses- 
sions. It may be taken for granted that the insurgents are practically 
subdued. Roving bands only of the Tagalos are in existence. Agui- 
naldo has been hoping that the American Congress would reverse the 
action of the President and acknowledge him as the head of the Filipino 
government. 

No such action will be taken. There must be complete submission 
before the future rule of the islands is determined. 



REPORT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. 

Among other things the commissioners say: 

"Should our power by any fatality be withdrawn the commission be- 
lieves that the government of the Philippines would speedily lapse into 
anarchy, which would excuse, if it did not necessitate, the intervention 
of other powers and the eventual division of the islands among them. 

"Only through American occupation, therefore, is the idea of a free, 
self-governing and united Philippine commonwealth at all conceivable. 
And the indispensable need, from the Filipino point of view, of main- 
taining American sovereignty over the archipelago is recognized by all 
intelligent Filipinos and even by those insurgents who desire an Ameri- 
can protectorate. 

"The latter, it is true, would take the revenues and leave us the re- 
sponsibilities. Nevertheless, they recognize the indubitable fact that 
the Filipinos cannot stand alone. Thus the welfare of the Filipinos coin- 
cides with the dictates of national honor in forbidding our abandonment 
of the archipelago. 

"We cannot, fi-om any point of view, escape the responsibilities of 

government which our sovereignty entails, and the commission is 

strongly persuaded that the performance of our national duty will prove 

the greatest blessing to the peoples of the Philippine islands." 

One of the closing chapters of the report is devoted to a tribute to 
22 



334 SPEECH OF SENATOR BEVERIDGE. 

"Our Soldiers and Sailors in the War." The commission says that the 
presence of Admiral Dewey as a member of this body makes it unfitting 
to dwell on his personal achievements, but he joins in the eulogy of his 
comrades. The commission witnessed some of the many brave deeds of 
our soldiers and they declare that all that skill, courage and a patient 
endurance can do has been done in the Philippines. 

RESPECT FOR THE CHURCHES. 

They dismiss the reports of the desecrating of churches, the murder- 
ing of prisoners and the committing of unmentionable crimes and say 
they are glad to express the belief that a war was never more humanely 
conducted, saying: 

"If churches were occupied it was only as a military necessity and 
frequently after their use as forts by the insurgents had made it neces- 
sary to train our artillery upon them. Prisoners were taken whenever 
opportunity offered, often only to be set at liberty after being disarmed 
and fed." 

WHAT AMERICAN CONTROL MEANS. 

The report concludes: "Our control means to the inhabitants of the 
Philippines internal peace and order, a guarantee against foreign ag- 
gression and against the dismemberment of their country, commercial 
and industrial prosperity and as large a share of the affairs of the gov- 
ernment as they shall prove fit to take. 

"When peace and prosperity shall have been established throughout 
the archipelago, when education shall have become general, then, in 
the language of a leading Filipino, his people will, under our guidance, 
'become more American than the Americans themselves.' " 

The report is signed by J. G. Schurman, George Dewey, Charles 
Denby, Dean C. Worcester. 

SPEECH OF SENATOR ALBERT J. BEVERIDGE. 

Senator Albert J. Beveridge, who has made a personal visit to the 
Philippines, delivered a speech in the Senate Chamber on the Philip- 
pine question. He said in part: 

I address the Senate at this time because Senators and members of 
the House on both sides have asked that I give to Congress and the 
country my observations in the Philippines and the far East, and the 
conclusions which those observations compel; and because of the hurt- 



SPEECH OF SENATOR BEVERIDGE. 335 

ful resolutions iutroduced by the Senators from South Carolina and 
Georgia, every word of which will cost and is costing the lives of 
American soldiers, 

Mr. President, the times call for candor. The Philippines are ours 
forever, "territory belonging to the United States," as the constitution 
calls them. And just beyond the Philippines are China's illimitable 
markets. We will not retreat from either. We will not repudiate our 
duty in the archipelago. We will not abandon our opportunity in the 
Orient. We will not renounce our part in the mission of our race, trus- 
tee under God, of the civilization of the world. 

And we will move forward to our work, not howling out regrets 
like slaves whipped to their burdens, but with gratitude for a task 
woilhy of our strength, and thanksgiving to Almighty God that he has 
marked us as his chosen people, henceforth to lead in the regeneration 
of the world. 

PHILIPPINES COMMAND THE PACIFIC. 

This island empire is the last land left in all the oceans. If it should 
prove a mistake to abandon it, the blunder once made would be irre- 
trievable. If it proves a mistake to hold it, the error can be corrected 
when we will; every other progressive nation stands ready to relieve us. 

But to hold it will be no mistake. Our largest trade henceforth must 
bo with Asia. The Pacific is our ocean. More and more Europe will 
manufacture all it needs — secure from its colonies the most it consumes. 
Where shall we turn for consumers of our surplus? 

Geography answers the question. China is our natural customer. 
She is nearer to us than to England, Germany, or Russia, the commer- 
cial powers of the present and the future. They have moved nearer to 
China by securing permanent bases on her borders. The Philippines 
give us a base at the door of all the East. Lines of navigation from our 
ports to the Orient and Australia; from the Isthmian canal to Asia; 
from all Oriental ports to Australia, converge at and separate from 
the Philippines. 

They are a self-supporting, dividend-paying fleet, permanently an- 
chored at a spot selected by the strategy of Providence, commanding 
the Pacific. And the Pacific is the ocean of the commerce of the future. 
Most future wars will be conflicts for commerce. The power that rules 
the Pacific, therefore, is the power that rules the world. And with the 
Philippines, that power is and will forever be the American republic. 



336 SPEECH OF SENATOR BEVERIDGE. 

RESOURCES AND IMMENSE SIZE. 

But if they did not command China, India, the Orient, the whole 
Pacific for purposes of offense, defense, and trade, the Philippines are 
no valuable in themselves that we should hold them. 

No land in America surpasses in fertilitj the plains and valleys of 
Luzon. Rice and coffee, sugar and cocoauuts, hemp and tobacco, and 
many products of the temperate as well as tropic zone, grow in various 
sections of the archipelago. 

The forests of Negros, Mindanao, Mindora, Paluan, and parts of 
Luzon are invaluable and intact. The wood of the Philippines can sup- 
ply the furniture of the world for a century to come. The mineral 
wealth of this empire of the ocean will one day surprise the world. 

I base this statement partly on personal observation, but chiefly on 
the testimony of foreign merchants in the Philippines, who have prac- 
tically investigated the subject, and upon the unanimous opinions of 
natives and priests. And the mineral wealth is but a small fraction of 
the agricultural wealth of these islands. 

CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. 

It will be hard for Americans who have not studied them to under- 
stand the people. They are a barbarous race, modified by three centu- 
ries of contact with a decadent race. The Filipino is the South Sea 
Malay, put through a process of 300 years of superstition in religion, dis- 
honesty in dealing, disorder in habits of industry and cruelty, caprice, 
and corruption in government. 

It is barely possible that 1,000 men in all the archipelago are capable 
of self-government in the Anglo-Saxon sense. I kuuw many clever ami 
highly educated men among them, but there are only three command- 
ing intellects and characters — Arellano, Mabini, and Aguinaldo. Arel- 
lano, the Cliief Justice of our Supreme Court, is a profound lawyer, and 
a brave and incorruptible man. Mabini is the highest type of subtlety, 
and the most constructive mind that race has yet produced. 

Aguinaldo is a clever, popular leader, able, brave, resourceful, cun- 
ning, ambitious, unscrupulous, and masterful. Tie is full of decision, 
initiative, and authority, and had the confidence of the masses. He is a 
natural dictator. His ideas of government are absolute orders, implicit 
obedience, or immediate death. He understands the character of his 
countrymen. He is a Malay Sylla; not a Filipino Washington. 



SPEECH OF SENATOR BEVERIDGE. 337 

WILL HOLD IT FAST AND FOREVER. 

Here, then, Senators, is the situation. Two years ago there was no 
land in all the world which we could occupy for any purpose. Our com- 
merce was daily turning toward the Orient, and geography and trade 
developments made necessary our commercial empire over the Pacific. 
And in that ocean we had no commercial, naval, or military base. 

To-day we have one of the three great ocean possessions of the globe, 
located at the most commanding commercial, naval, and military points 
in the Eastern seas, within hail of India, shoulder to shoulder with 
China, richer in its own resources than any equal body of land on the 
entire globe, and peopled by a race which civilization demands shall be 
improved. Shall we abandon it? 

That man little knows the common people of the republic, little 
understands the instincts of our race, who thinks we will not hold it 
fast, and hold it forever, administering just government by simplest 
methods. 

We may trick up devices to shift our burden and lessen our oppor- 
tunity; they will avail us nothing but delay. We may tangle condi- 
tions by applying academic arrangements of self-government to a crude 
situation; their failure will drive us to our duty in the end. 

THE BLOOD OF OUR SOLDIERS. 

Mr. President, reluctantly and only from a sense of duty, am I forced 
to say that American opposition to the war has been the chief factor in 
prolonging it. Had Aguinaldo not understood that in America, even in 
the American Congress, even here in the Senate, he and his cause were 
supported; had he not known that it was proclaimed on the stump and 
in the press of a faction in the United States, that every shot his mis- 
guided followers fired into the breasts of American soldiers was like 
the volleys fired by Washington's men against the soldiers of King 
George, his insurrection would have dissolved before it entirely crys- 
tallized. 

The utterances of American opponents of the war are read to the 
ignorant soldiers of Aguinaldo, and repeated in exaggerated form 
among the common people. Arms and ammunition were shipped from 
Asiatic ports to the Filipinos by wretches claiming American citizen- 
ship; and these acts of infamy were coupled by the Malays with Ameri- 
can assaults on our government at home. 



338 SPEECH OF SENATOR BEVERIDGE. 

The Filipinos do not undcrstauil free speech, and therefore our tol- 
erance of American assaults on the American President, and the Amer- 
ican Government, means to them that our President is in the minority 
or he would not permit what appears to them such treasonable criticism, 

BELIEF OF THE FILIPINOS. 

It is believed and stated in Luzon, Panay, and Cebu that the Fili- 
pinos have only to tight, harass, retreat, break up into small parties, if 
necessary, as they are doing now, but by any means hold out until the 
next Presidential election, and our forces will be withdrawn. All this 
has aided the enemy more than climate, arms, and battle. 

Senators, I have heard these reports myself; I have talked with the 
people; I have seen our mangled boys iu the hospital and field; I have 
stood on the firing line and beheld our dead soldiers, their faces turned 
to the pitiless Southern sky; and, in sorrow rather than anger, I say 
to those whose voices in America have cheered those misguided natives 
on to shoot our soldiers down, that the blood of those dead and wounded 
boys of ours is on their hands; and the tiood of all the years can never 
wash that stain away. 

In sorrow rather than anger I say these words, for I earnestly believe 
that our brothers knew not what they did. 

INCAPABLE OF SELF-GOVERNMENT. 

But, Senators, it would be better to abandon this combined garden 
and Gibraltar of the Pacific, and count our blood and treasure already 
spent a profitable loss, than to apply any academic arrangement of self- 
government to these children. 

They are not capable of self-government. How could they be? They 
are not of a self-governing race. They are Orientals, Malays, instructed 
by Spaniards in the latter's worst estate. They know nothing of prac- 
tical government except as they have witnessed the weak, corrupt, cruel, 
and capricious rule of Spain. 

What magic will any one employ to dissolve in their minds and char- 
acters those impressions of governors and governed which three cen- 
turies of misrule has created? 

What alchemy will change the Oriental quality of their blood and 
set the self-governing currents of the American pouring through their 
Malay veins? 

We must act on the situation as it exists, not as we would wish it. 



BOOK II. 



LIVING ISSUES. 




cOLUhei/v E\c c/:l£ctco 



I'hoto of M. A. Hanna by i>erinis!*ion of \V, J. Rodt. I'liotographer. Chicagro 

EMINENT POLITICIANS AND STATESMEN— EXPANSIONISTS 




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PRESIDENT McKIXLEY AND HIS CABINET-EXPANSIONISTS 




<&^evJPBrashfOf;MmWQJJ^^^cv-J.M3m///t D.D. 



NOTED DIVINES-EXPANSIONISTS 




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A GROUP OF EXPANSIONISTS 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF INTERVENTION. 

(The Rev. F. A. Noble, D. D.) 

We have had four wars in this country — four, leaving out the old 
French and English wars. Of these four, three were righteous, and 
will be adjudged righteous by posterity. So far as England was con- 
cerned, there ought never to have been any occasion for a resort to 
arms; but on this side of the Atlantic the American Revolution was 
just and right. No intelligent man anywhere who loves liberty ven- 
tures to question it. 

The same may be said of the War of 1812. England was the aggres- 
sor, and put forth claims and made demands which were intolerable; 
and there seemed no way of bringing her to her senses, but by giving 
her an allopathic dose of Perry and Scott and Jackson. 

The war to maintain the integrity of the Union was a commenda- 
ble and holy war. Hardly another disaster to mankind could have 
happened which would have been so serious as the breaking up of this 
nation and the establishment of human slavery on the ruins of the 
Republic. 

But the war with Mexico was a wicked war. It was entered upon 
without justification and for an inhuman purpose; and the day will 
never dawn when the memory of it will not be a shame to every true 
patriot in the land. Under the providence of God the unwarranted 
deed has been overruled for good; but the credit of this is not due to 
the authorities and the conspirators who aided them in the mischievous 
plot, but to Him who maketh even the wrath of man to praise Him. 

But the war with Spain was not a war of miserable intrigue and 
restless ambition, nor was it urged for any petty and selfish ends. 

It was not a war in aid of commerce and trade. Business, no doubt, 
had been seriously affected by the unsettled and appalling condition 
of affairs in Cuba for the last three years, and losses to citizens of the 
United States had been large. But had these losses been a hundred 

339 



340 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

times as great, or a thousand times, they would have afforded no moral 
warrant for war. 

It was not a war to enable our army ajid navy officers to display 
their skill and secure coveted i)roniotion. This is one of the perils to 
which nations with armies and navies are exposed. Officers become 
impatient under the dull routine of peace and want a chance for pro- 
motion. 

It was not a war for teri'itorial aggrandizement. In the final action 
taken by Congress this was one of the resolutions: "That the United 
States hereby disclaims any disposition or intention to exercise sov- 
ereigntj-, jurisdiction or control over said island except for the pacifi- 
cation thereof, and asserts its determination, when that is accom- 
plished, to leave the government and control of the island to its people." 

Not so is it with us. We do not want Cuba. The citizens of this 
repiiblic are not consumed with land-greed. Canada may remain under 
the dominion of the queen as long as she likes, and nobody on this 
side of the line will either woo her or disturb her. Mexico may go on 
her way, and nobody of sense and honesty within the bounds of the 
United States will wish her other than the utmost good will and God- 
speed in the development of her resources and the cultivation and 
advancement of her people. In acreage, in variety of climate, in fer- 
tility of soil, in mineral wealth, in fruits, in lakes and rivers and 
plains and mountains, in miles of sea coast, in great memories and 
resplendent hopes, enough are ours. As we have no need so we have 
no wish for Cuba. 

It was not a war to avenge the destruction of the Maine and the 
cruel slaughter of two hundred and sixty five officers and men, though 
in the preamble of the resolution offered in the Senate, the sad fate 
of this ship is named as one of the grounds in justification of the pur- 
pose to proceed to the extremity of blood, unless Spain should at once 
cease from her oppression and withdraw from Cuba. 

What, then, was this war, and in what lies its justification? The 
answer is at hand. It was a war in behalf of humanity and for the 
vindication of human rights and the enlargement of human liberty. 
A people close to our borders, down-trodden, over-run, bruised, smit- 
ten, starved and done to death, but with hearts as human and rights 
as sacred as any people on the earth, stretched out their hands to us, 
and lifted up their voices from the dismal depths into which oppres- 
sion had plunged them, and implored us to help; and we had no right, 
either in the sight of God or man, to avert our gaze and stop our ears 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 341 

aud pass on in a self-complacent and comfortable indifference. Na- 
tions, as well as individuals, have a duty of Good-Samaritanism laid 
upon them. 

ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 

THE FUTURE OF THE PHILIPPINES. 

I have the greatest enthusiasm in the future of the Philippines. I 
hope to see America's possessions the key to Oriental commerce and 
civilization. The brains of our great country will develop the untold 
agricultural and mineral richness of the i.slands. 

We must never sell them. Such au action would bring on another 
great war. 

We will never part with the Philippines, I am sure, and in future 
years the idea that anybody should have seriously suggested it will 
be one of the curiosities of history. 

The insurrection is broken. There will be no more hard battles, 
and the new era for the islands that was temporarily delayed by the 
rising will soon begin. 

Aguinaldo's name is the real power among the natives. Many of 
the island provinces that were once warlike are anxious for peace, and 
will accept the American terms as soon as the Tagalos of Luzon are 
whipped iuto line, but they dare not treat with us as long as Agui- 
naldo has the power to confiscate property or punish those who offend 
him. 

AT THE GATEWAY. 

James Valentine sings as follows: 

There's a baby at your gate-way, 

Uncle Sam, t^ncle Sam — 
Filipino, Spanish-Malay, 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
Never mind who placed it there, 
It has need of love and care. 
Shall your kindly hand not dare, 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
Shall you say you do not dare, 

Uncle Sam> 

It is bruised and worn and broken. 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
Bleeding wounds, the Spanish token, 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 



342 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

AH the World has heard its cry, 
Will jou leave it there to die? 
All the World will ask you why, 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
All the W^orld will wonder why, 
Uncle Sam! 

Do not heed the Stranger growling, 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
Do not heed the Craven howling. 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
Do not let disloyal fears 
Drown the Filipino tears 
Of three hundred bloody years. 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
Of the long and cruel years, 
Uncle Sam! 

Not for hope of gain nor glory, 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
Not to make a bloody story, 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
But to do the just and right. 
Turn the darkness into light. 
In your charity and might. 

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam — 
In the glory of your might, 

Uncle Sam. 



HON. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS. 

(Address on Expansion at Freeport, 111., August 27, 1858.) 

It is idle to tell me or you that we have territory enough. Our 
fathers supposed that we had enough when our territory extended to 
the Mississippi river, but a few years' growth and expansion satisfied 
them that we needed more, and Louisiana territory from the west 
branch of the Mississippi to the British possessions, was acquired. 

Then we acquired Oregon, then California and New Mexico. We 
have enough now for the present, but this is a young and growing na- 
tion. It swarms as often as a hive of bees, and as new swarms are 
turned out each year, there must be hives in which they can gather 
and make their honey. In less than fifteen years, if the same prog- 
ress that has distinguished this country for the last fifteen years con- 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 343 

tinues, every foot of vacant land between this and the Pacific ocean, 
owned by the United States, will be occupied. 

Will you not continue to increase at the end of fifteen years as 
well as now? I tell you, increase and multiply, and expand is the 
law of this nation's existence. You cannot limit this great republic 
by mere imaginary lines, saying "thus far shalt thou go and no farther." 

Any one of you gentlemen would be foolish to say to a son twelve 
years old that he is big enough, and must not grow any larger, and in 
order to prevent his growth put a hoop around him to keep him to 
bis present size. What would be the result? Either the hoop must 
burst and be rent asunder, or the child must die. So it would be with 
this great nation. 

With our natural increase, growing with a rapidity unknown in 
any other part of the globe, with the tide of emigration that is flee- 
ing from despotism in the old world to seek refuge in our own, there 
is a constant torrent pouring into this country that requires more land, 
more territory upon which to settle, and just as fast as our interests 
and our destiny require additional territory in the North, in the South, 
or on the islands of the ocean, I am for it. 

HON WILLIAM PITT FRYE. 

(United States Senator from Maine. Address in New York City, 
April 26, 1899.) 

WE WILL HOLD THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

What shall we do with the Philippine Islands? Restore them to 
Spain? There isn't an intelligent man in the world who has famil- 
iarized himself with the conditions who does not declare their unfit- 
ness for government. 

Should we follow the advice of the statesmen who have likened 
Aguinaldo to George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Lafayette, and 
yield the control to him? 

We might sell the islands and reimburse ourselves for the cost of 
the war. 

We might sail av>ay and leave them to chaos, shifting from our 
broad shoulders all responsibility to God and man; but would God 
and man hold us harmless? 

What shall we do with the Philippines? In my judgment there 
•vvill be no uncertain sound in the answer of our people. They have 



344 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

been acquired honestly, and in their acquirement we have dealt gen- 
erously with Spain. We will hold them as our own, for the good of 
the peoples who inhabit them and for the immense advantage, conl- 
niercially, they promise us. 

We will give them a good government, relief from burdensome taxa- 
tion, ample security in all their civil and religious rights. We will 
build highways, construct railroads, erect schoolhouses and churches. 
We will allow them to participate in government so far and so fast 
as we may find them capable. We will give employment to labor and 
good wages to the laborer. 

We will arouse in them an ambition to become good citizens, com- 
petent to manage their own local affairs and interests. We will make 
it possible for them, some time in the future, to form a stable repub- 
lican government, capable of making treaties, enforcing their rights 
under them, and observing their obligations. 

Then, we alone being the judges of their competency, will surrender 
to them the sovereignty, reserving to ourselves the naval and coaling 
stations necessary for our commerce and its protection. 

In the meantime we will not restore a rod to Spain or sell a rod 
to any nation on earth, nor will we permit our supreme authority to 
be diminished or questioned by any power within or without the islands. 

Such utterances as these may subject me to the charge of being 
an expansionist. I plead guilty to the indictment and find myself 
in most exalted company. 

ARCHBISHOP lEELAXD. 

(Address before the Grand Army of the Republic at Buffalo, Aug- 
ust 24, 1897.) 

ACHIEVEMENTS ARE FITLY MEASURED BY THEIR RESULTS. 

Achievements are fitly measured by their results. Of our achieve- 
ments the results are the United States of the present time. The 
United States — hail to the great nation. By very force of her great- 
ness and of the mission which Providence imposes upon her, she is 
compelled to wave her flag in triumphant ownership over remote islands 
whence vast seas are ruled. 

Wherever throughout the whole world her Stars and Stripes is seen 
respect is at once awarded to it. Nations most powerful covet her 
alliance, and offer welcome to her promise of peace. Within her borders 



EXPANSION- SENTIMENTS. 345 

the spirit of humanity's new age is at home — the spirit of humanity's 
progress, of humanity's freedom, of humanity's social elevation. 

America leads in humanity's forward march; America's to-day is 
the world's to-morrow. 

And this great nation — strong, resolute, proud, progressive — is a 
nation of freedom; popular suffrage is her life blood, civil and politi- 
cal liberty her native atmosphere. 

Americans, hail to the great nation. Hail this night to the Presi- 
dent of the United States. 

The President symbolizes the nation; the President personifies the 
nation. 

The majesty of the nation encircles his brow; the power of the 
nation rests in his hand; honor due to the nation is due to the Presi- 
dent; honor from the President is honor from the nation. 

To-night America sits at our board. Hail to William McKiuley, 
the President of America. 

Aye, hail to William McKinley, the man and the citizen, whom 
Christian virtues and patriotic deeds make worthy to be the President 
of America. 

The achievements of the soldiers of the Civil War have given us the 
United States of the present time. The valor of those soldiers upon 
land and upon sea killed organized secession and saved the Union. 
Without those soldiers there would be to-day no United States. 

A dozen of petty republics, writhing in the agonies of discord and 
revolution, would lie scattered between the Atlantic and Pacific shores 
— each one so small and impotent that her people could own no pride, 
and the nations of the earth should neglect and scorn her. 

The union of states is the obligatory and perpetual submission of 
state governments in all national interests to the central government 
in Washington. This is the vital condition of strength and prosperity 
to the states and to the populations that cover their territory. The 
victories that the veterans are celebrating in Buffalo preserved the 
Union and endowed it with immortality. 

HON. CUSHMAN K. DAVIS. 

(United States Senator from Minnesota. Address in St. Paul, 
Minn., May 16, 1899.) 

WE MUST HOLD THE PHILIPPINES. 

Dewey lay in the harbor of Hongkong. Under the law of nations 
he was required to quit that port within twenty-four hours after the 



346 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

declaration of war, and he went. And the only place upon that hemi- 
sphere of the globe to which he could go where he would not be sub- 
jected to the same law was the bay of Manila, and by an act of daring — 
not singular in the annals of the American navy, but which does not 
detract from his glory in the least — by one stroke, in one morning — 
with a slight interval for breakfast — he sank, deeper than ever plum- 
met sounded, under the waters of Manila Bay, all the power of Spain 
in that hemisphere. 

What was the consequence? The City of Manila is one of the 
great commercial cities of the world, far exceeding in proportion to 
its population, which is 300,000 people — a great distributing point in 
that great Oriental trade and distributions, which is opening upon 
us like a dream soon to become a reality. 

What was he to do? The power of Spain was broken; she no 
more could hope to raise the head of power in Luzon or any other of 
the islands. 

What was the United States to do? Were we to sail away? Was 
Dewey to trail his triumphant ensign at the stern of his ship and 
sneak out of the bay of Manila? To go where he couldn't go? For he 
had no refuge at Hongkong for more than twenty-four hours. 



HOLD THE PHILIPPINES. 

Now for the situation of the Philippines. This is no inconsiderable 
element of commerce, (5,000,000 is probably a conservative estimate of 
the population, but their exports and imports in 1896 were more than 
$60,000,000 and the balance of trade in their favor was $20,000,000. 

A great market of itself, but it skirts the coast of China for 1,200 
miles. 

Manila is one of the greatest commercial cities of the world and 
has been for 200 years. 

It is 600 miles from Hongkong, and any nation seeking to oppress 
or obtain undue advantage on the coast of China or follow its trade 
with the unnumbered multitudes of people has got to do business with 
the nation that holds the Philippine archipelago. 

I am in favor, unreservedly — I speak only for myself and without 
any inspiration or concert of opinion with any other man — I am in 
favor of holding the Philippines at whatever cost permanently and 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 347 

not provisionally until the inhabitants thereof shall demonstrate, and 
as they shall demonstrate their capacity for autonomy, and then grant 
it to them, little by little, to the fullest degree to which they shall 
show themselves capable. 

I appeal to the commercial man. 

I appeal to him who says that we have been trading among our- 
selves long enough, that we have brought to pass that condition of 
things whereby the American market is supplied by American labor 
and American superfluity is flowing out through all the world; I appeal 
to him, in the light of enlightened assurance, is it not worth while to 
hold on to these tremendous advantages we have? 

I appeal to the ministers of Christianity. 

I appeal to those who have carried the cross and the faith, irre- 
spective of all denominations, in foreign lands and have subdued bar- 
barism by teachings with which barbarism had been unfamiliar, is 
it worth while to stop this war and evacuate the Island of Luzon and 
leave it to the anarchy to which it would inevitably fall? 

I appeal to all the forces of civilization, those forces which by 
some occult and powerful influence have for 200 years moved the West 
to the East, which sent the British into India to the infinite advan- 
tage of the Indian people, and which for the last twenty years has 
sent European nations into Africa, a continent larger than both North 
and South America, and which in the process of time will redound 
to the interests of humanity. 

I appeal to Christianity, and civilization — an influence which has 
taken Madagascar, an influence which is in the process of extending 
its spheres of influence over China, however cruel and unjustifiable 
may be the incidental processes. 

I appeal to those influences which we know, looking over the his- 
tory of the last 500 years, in the process of time will conduce to a 
better Christianity and a higher civilization than those countries have 
ever yet seen — for they have seen none at all of either. 

Why shall the United States, the representative of intelligent power, 
and probably the most power of any seventy millions of people on 
the face of the earth, why shall the United States confess themselves 
incapable of undertaking a task which England, Germany, France, 
Holland, and every colonizing nation of the world has not only asserted 
its adequacy to but has succeeded in its fulfilment? 



23 



348 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 



GOVERNOR THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

(Address at the reunion of the Rouf;:h Riders, Las Vegas, New Mex- 
ico, June 25, 1899.) 

THE FLAG SHALL NOT BE HAULED DOWN. 

Let us not forget our comrades who this summer are facing all 
that we faced last summei-. Let us not forget the gallant men, the 
regulars and volunteers, who are upholding the honor of the flag and 
the interests of the nation in the Philippines. Surely there is not one 
of us whose veins have not tingled with pride as he read of the gal- 
lantry of those men; and I suppose few of us have not thought at 
times that we should like ourselves to fight beside Lawton now as 
we fought beside him last July, and to see if the Rough Riders could 
not do their share of the work now done by the splendid men who 
follow Funston, Hale, and the other daring leaders, who, during the 
last six months, have added so many new pages to the honor roll of 
American history. 

To our shame be it said there are men in this nation so indifferent 
to the country's honor, so lukewarm in patriotism and courage that 
they would let all the work of these men go for naught — let their blood 
be spilled in vain. But the heart of our nation is sound, and the puny 
folk who deem it otherwise are woefully mistaken in their country- 
men. Where our flag has been raised it shall not be hauled down. 
If any difficulty seems greater than w'e expected it merely means 
that we shall exert a little more strength in overcoming it. 

I read with pride the other day how both Senators from Cali- 
fornia, though of opposite political parties, joined in assuring the Presi- 
dent that California would stand like a rock behind him in seeing 
that there w-as no stepback in the Philippines; and I can assure him 
of the like spirit in the great State of which I have the honor to be 
the Governor. We stand ready to give him whatever he needs in 
men or money to put down the armed savagery to which we are opposed 
in the Philippines. 

SUPPORT FOR McKINLEY. 

He shall have all he wishes to put it down quickly, and whether 
it is put down quickly or not, he shall have our support in ever in- 
creasing measure until the last spark of resistance has been stamped 



«K 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 349 

out. We want no peace talk with men who bear arms in their hands. 
When once they submit they shall be treated with absolute justice 
and equity, and their rights most carefully guarded; but until they 
submit they must be taught Avith rough hand what it is to make war 
upon the American flag. 

There is no East and no West wTien we come to deal with ques- 
tions of this kind. The United States is to be the great power of the 
Pacific, and we men of the Atlantic coast are good Westerners and 
are as resolutely bent upon upbuilding our power in the Pacific as 
the men of the Pacific slope themselves. 

Our nation must show itself great not only in the ways of peace 
but in that preparedness for war which best insures peace. We must 
upbuild our navy and army until they correspond to the needs which 
the new century will bring. Above all, my comrades and my fellow- 
countrymen, we must build up in this country that spirit of social and 
civic honesty and courage which alone can make any nation reach the 
highest and most lasting greatness. 

HON. DON M. DICKINSON. 

(July 4, 1899.) 

ANOTHER STAGE OF EXPANSION. 

Less than 123 years ago to-day, a few representatives of our people 
gathered in Philadelphia and proclaimed the birth of our republic. 
The news of the great event of the Fourth of Jiily, 1776, was sent 
as speedily as the facilities would allow to New York, where it was 
spread on the evening of the ninth of July. 

The people celebrated the event by pulling down the statue of 
King George, and later made it more appropriate and more effective 
by molding that statue into bullets and cannon balls. 

For the four years following the year 1801 we were demonstrat- 
ing to a doubting world the divine nature of our institutions, and show- 
ing that a government of the people and for the people and by the 
people should not perish from the earth. 

With the Spanish war we gained the respect of the nations. Nay, 
we gained more, we gained the renewal of cordial fellowship and fel- 
low citizenship of the North with the South, and the blue and the gray 
walked to victory beneath Old Glory. 



350 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

The Spanish war, with all its bloodshed, loss of life and treasure, 
was worth more than all we gave. 

We have come to the Fourth of July, 1S99, and to-day the Fourth 
of July, 1776, is commemorated in the time that it takes the world to 
turn around, and not only here, but all around the globe. 

We well know, fellow citizens, the highway that has been traveled 
by this nation in a short 100 years. And as the sun of the new cen- 
tury rises, we see by its rays the highway extended out into the future 
to another stage of robust growth and healthy expansion. 

We will go forward as we came, under God and the flag, putting 
our trust in Him as did our fathers, with steadfast courage and fidelity. 



HON. AMOZ J. SMITH. 
(Postmaster General.) 

OUR DUTY ON THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION. 

This intense activity at home, this universal employment of labor, 
this great and increasing prosperity go on undisturbed, although we 
are engaged in a serious conflict 8,000 miles away. The contest in 
the Philippines has not affected our unparalleled industrial revival or 
our matchless prosperity. 

In truth, the tremendous events of the past year have aided in 
awakening our domestic activities, for they have lifted the curtain 
and revealed new outlets for trade and commerce, and even this trouble 
in the Philippines would not have come if the action of the govern- 
ment had been left unhampered and unembarrassed. 

SUCCESSFUL WHEN UNHAMPERED. 

Its success where it had free hands was unlimited and undenied. 
Its victory in the war with Spain stands unequaled. 

You will search the annals of history in vain for a parallel to its 
swiftness of execution and its completeness of triumph. 

It was as skillful in making peace as in waging war. The treaty 
of Paris was also negotiated with extraordinary ability, promptness 
and judgment. 

Up to that point there was no flaw in the sweep of success. Had 
the treaty been promptly and unanimously ratified, as it ought to 
have been, there would have been no conflict. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 351 

The treaty was sent to the Senate early in December. Then and 
for nearly two months after that time peace and order prevailed. 

There was no outbreak till February. The sovereignty of the United 
States, established and recognized by the treaty, was accepted. 

But the manifestation of opposition in the Senate incited and em- 
boldened opposition in the Philippines, and the contest of nearly two 
months at Washington created a new and unnecessary contest around 
Manila. 

BUT ONE COURSE POSSIBLE. 

When that contest came the government had but one course and 
one duty. It was under obligation to suppress the insurrection of 
the Tagals in Luzon just as much as it would be to suppress the revolt 
of an Indian tribe in Idaho or Wyoming. 

We owe it to the world, which recognizes our supremacy and expects 
us to secure peace and maintain law and order. We owe it to our 
own sovereignty, and we owe it to the interests and well being of the 
Filipinos themselves. 

We have no war with the Filipinos. It is the testimony of our 
commission, and of all other authorities, that fully 90 per cent of the 
Filipinos accept and welcome the American flag, which carries liberty 
and the promise of enlightenment and progress to them. 

Our conflict is only with the single tribe of Tagals, which because 
of encouragement from some of our own people, and because of a mis- 
understanding of the real American purpose, has broken out in insur- 
rection. 

That conflict has unhappily continued beyond the hope and perhaps 
beyond the expectation of the country. 

EVERY BATTLE A VICTORY. 

It is no fault of the government. It is no fault of the soldiers. 

Every battle has been a victory. The American arms have never 
once been defeated or repulsed. 

No soldiers ever fought more dauntlessly under greater hardships 
than the heroes who have borne our flag through the jungles of Luzon, 
and the names of Otis and MacArthur, and Lawton and Funston, with 
their gallant comrades, will ever be inscribed in the brightest records 
of American valor. 

There has been no lack of vigorous leadership and no lack of faith- 



352 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

ful and arduous service in the ranks. The only trouble has been that 
our numbers have not been great enough to overwhelm the insurgents 
and crush the revolt. 

Where is the fault, if fault there be? What is the public feeling 
of which we have been conscious withiu the past weeks? The Ameri- 
can people have not changed their spirit or purpose; they manfully 
accepted the responsibilities and the duties which came with the war 
of last year, and they accept them now. They have no thought of 
shrinking from the obligations which have fallen upon them. Instead 
of abandoning this work they are the more determined to proceed with 
it, and their feeling is not one of hesitation and doubt, but rather one 
of impatience to accomplish immediate and conclusive results. 

EX-SENATOR PEFFER. 
(Address at Maryvllle, Missouri, July 4, 1899.) 

NOT THE TIME FOR DISPUTES. 

Scarcely had the smoke of battle between American and Spaniard 
blown from over Manila when that part of the earth began to show 
signs of American prosperity and order. Everything went along 
smoothly until some of our soldiers were fired upon by certain ruffians. 

It immediately became our government's duty to defend the lives 
of our soldiers and the honor of our country, and to secure and pre- 
serve peace and order. When it has been done we can find time to 
dispute among ourselves about minor questions of government, but not 
before. 

Those who oppose this policy tell us we are violating the principles 
of the Declaration of Independence by enforcing our government upon 
people without their consent. Will you open the doors of our prisons 
and turn out all the men who are incarcerated there against their con- 
sent? 

This country originally belonged to the Indian, but did the white 
man permit the Indian to ravish and burn and kill because to restrain 
him would be to govern him without his consent? 

We are dealing directly with Spain. When the Spanish fleet was 
sunk and Manila captured the Philippines came into our control under 
the international code, and we became directly responsible for them 
and the acts of their inhabitants in the eyes of the world. 

They are ours to dispose of as much as any territory of this nation, 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 353 

and if the administration refused to put down that rebellion it would 
be as derelict in its duty as it would if it failed to put down a rebellion 
in Missouri or Kansas or Texas. 



SENATOR SHELBY M. CULLOM. 
(Address at Morris, 111., July 4, 1899.) 

THE UNITED STATES MUST EXERCISE SOVEREIGNTY. 

When Dewey sailed into Manila Bay May 1, 1898, the world was 
startled, the map of the earth was changed, and the entire American 
people applauded this act, but few of us appreciated the extent of his 
victory or the mighty problems of the future which were so unex- 
pectedly thrust upon us for solution. The close of the war with Spain 
made possible one of three solutions of the eastern question — either 
to return the Philippine Islands to Spain, leave them to be scrambled 
for by the grasping nations of the old world, or to hold them ourselves 
for such form of government as it might be proper to give them. I 
believe that no citizen favors handing the islands back to Spain, and 
I have not heard of any who favor their surrender to the European 
nations. But while this is true we are not all agreed that we shall 
retain them ourselves. 

Some appear to desire that these islands should be left to the native 
population for such government as they may have the wisdom or 
ability to establish. As I said in a speech recently in Washington: 

"Aguinaldo is an usurper, a dictator, a self-appointed ruler, who 
attacked the United States troops while they were at war with Spain, 
and the people of the islands would be no nearer a government of their 
own under him than they were under Spanish rule. 

"The only probable outcome is that the United States must exercise 
sovereignty and control in those islands for the time, and as soon as 
the diverse and antagonistic tribal elements shall become better adapted 
and qualified for self-government a republican form of government will 
be accorded to them." 

Without any desire or motive on our part the future of these fer- 
tile islands has been confided to us. To us has come the international 
obligation of planting there a stable government, of giving security to 
life and property, of carrying to a benighted people the blessings of 
education, liberty and civilization. 



354 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

The close of the ceutury is rich in expectation and big promise for 
our nation. To hold and develop the Philippine archipelago gives the 
Pacific ocean to America, and the marvelous trade of the twentieth 
century trembles in the grasp of the world republic. 

At the same time we are gaining the respect of the foreign nations. 
Our ship of state is the flagship of humanity. 

We are planting schools for the ignorant. We are striking the 
shackles from those who sit in bondage. We are carrying the light 
of civilization into the dark places of the earth, and we are teaching 
the nations of the world that people only may safely extend its ter- 
ritory which holds such territory in trust for humanity. 



EX-MAYOR MATTHEWS. 

(Of Boston.) 

HAVE NO RIGHT TO ABANDON THE ISLANDS. 

The question is not whether we shall let the Philippines govern 
themselves, but whether we shall allow a small portion of them to 
misgovern all the rest. We have no more right to abandon those 
islands and their occupants to savage or semi-savage misrule than 
Dewey had to scuttle his ships after the battle of Manila. 

As trustees w^e cannot resign. 

The practical duty of the United States, which no amount of his- 
torical misinformation will enable us honorably to avoid, is to re- 
establish peace and civil order in the Philippine Islands and to do it 
at once; and then to formulate a scheme of government for the islands, 
framed for the sole purpose of promoting the material welfare and polit- 
ical progress of their inhabitants. 

HON. CHAMP CLARK. 

(Member of Congress from Missouri. Democrat. Address at Lexington, 

Ky., July 4, 1800.) 

CONFIDENCE IN PRESIDENT McKINLEY. 

If America had never done anything worthy of remembrance except 
presenting Dewey to mankind her reason for being would be vindi- 
cated. He is the very flower of American chivalry in the closing days 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 355 

of the uineteenth century. If he blossomed and matured under the 
cold light of the north star, he has no more ardent admirers than 
those who dwell beneath the southern cross. He belongs to the whole 
country, as he wrought and conquered for the whole country. 

Of the good things done by the Fifty-fifth Congress perhaps the 
best thing was making Dewey an admiral, to be retired only on his 
own request. The fervent hope of all Americans is that he may live 
forever and be ranking admiral all the time. 

In far-reaching consequences his victory at Manila ranks with the 
skirmish at Concord and Lexington, with the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, the adoption of the Constitution and Washington's inaugu- 
ration. 

As the mighty Frederick said of his illustrious father, the great 
elector, so it may be said of Dewey with equal truth: "This man did 
great things." 

If I had my way about it every calendar and almanac printed in 
this country henceforth and forever March 8, 1898, would appear in 
blood-red characters as a date worthy of our most grateful remem- 
brance. That was the day when our great Civil War really closed 
and when the Spanish war, one of the most righteous of modern times, 
began. 

That day the House of Representatives — Democrats, Republicans, 
Populists, without a man missing — performed the most gigantic piece 
of confidence seen among men since the world began by placing in the 
hands of President McKinley, without condition and without reserve, 
$50,000,000. 

As .a Democrat of Democrats, I am happy in the belief that Presi- 
dent McKinley did not abuse that confidence so freely bestowed. As 
an American, I am proud to think that no man ever did or ever will 
hold that high position who would betray such a sacred trust. 

If it did no other good, the Spanish war made us once more a 
united people — united in fact as well as in name. 

This alone was worth all the cost of blood and tears and treasure. 

But it did more. It taught foreign nations a potent fact, which 
we knew before, that while we have fought each other viciously and 
ferociously on economic questions and will continue to do so, when 
we are engaged with a foreign foe our contentions cease at low water 
mark. 

Beyond that we are Americans and Americans only, ready with 
united and unquailing hearts to confront a world in arms. 



35G EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

Is there between the Atlantic and Pacific a Republican with soul 
so small as to withhold his full measure of glory from voung Hobson 
because he is an Alabama Democrat? 

If so, he is unworthy of American citizenship. 

Within the broad confines of the republic can there be found a 
Democrat so base as to wish to deprive Colonel Theodore Roosevelt 
of the guerdon of valor because he is a New York Republican? 

If so I disclaim him as my countryman. 

War has its pathos as well as glory, and since Nimrod first went 
forth to battle I think no field has presented a more pathetic scene 
than that of old Joe Wheeler, burning with fever and patriotism, his 
white hair gleaming in the wind, charging up Santiago Ilill to place 
on foreign soil the glorious banner of the republic to pull down which 
he had devoted four of the best years of his life. 

CHARLES J. BONAPARTE. 

WON'T ENCOURAGE REBELLION. 

Charles J. Bonaparte, the Baltimore attorney who was recently 
elected a vice-president in the Anti-Imperialist league of Boston, wrote 
a letter to Erving Winslow telling why he cannot accept the proffered 
distinction. He says: 

"When the protocol was signed the President could have withdrawn 
our military and naval forces from the islands and abandoned all fur- 
ther interference in their affairs. Instead of so doing, he even agreed 
to pay Spain $20,000,000 as the price of their sovereignty, and those 
of us who then condemned and still condemn his course are, to my 
mind, in no wise bound to show him now a way out of any embar- 
rassment which he may have thus brought upon the country. 

"If, however, I were to undertake this task, I should not, as at pres- 
ent advised, recommend negotiations with revolted Filipinos or any 
attempt to organize a quasi-independent government under our suzer- 
ainty or protection in the archipelago. If we must own the islands 
in any sense or become at all responsible for their peace and good 
government, then I think that a system of administration modeled sub- 
stantially upon that of British India will be indispensable to their 
prosperity and our security, and complete submission to our authority 
on the part of the inhabitants is obviously the first step toward its 
establishment. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 357 

I may add that, while I fully recognize the injustice, and even ab- 
surdity, of those charges of "'disloyalty" which have been of late freely 
made against some members of the league, and also that many hon- 
orable and patriotic men do not feel as I do on this subject, I am 
personally unwilling to take any part in an agitation which may have 
some tendency to cause the public enemy to persist in armed resist- 
ance, or may be at least plausibly represented as having this tendency. 

There can be no doubt that, as a matter of fact, the country is at 
war with Aguinaldo and his followers; I profoundly regret this fact; 
I think its causes very discreditable to our President and his official 
advisers, but it is a fact, nevertheless, and as such must weigh in deter- 
mining my conduct as a citizen. 

GENERAL EDWARD S. BRAGG (Democrat). 

No man of sound sense in favor of quitting. 

General Bragg, the brave Wisconsin officer who was connected with 
the famous Iron Brigade, expresses his opinion as follows: 

"We have got to whip those fellows and establish a protectorate. 
I did not agree with the administration in its position In those Islands 
at the start, but after the war was begun I was not in favor of quitting. 
And no man of sound sense will say otherwise. As I read and study 
the character of those people I find them a strange mixture, and it Is 
too bad we must keep on and kill men every one of whom is worth a 
hundred Filipinos. I am glad, however, to see that the campaign is 
being left to the men in the Islands, instead of their movements being 
directed from Washington. The generals on the ground are the ones 
who know the situation best, as it was shown time and time again in 
the Civil war. The need of more troops has also been considered, which 
should have been done at first and with the regiments augmented the 
war ought not to last much longer. 

"I have always found it to be trvie in the affairs of this government 
that great crises are adjusted properly and for the best good of the 
whole people. This will be the inevitable result of the war in the 
Philippines." 

HON. WILLIAM DUDLEY FOULKE. 

LOYALTY AND EXPANSION. 

When war was declared there was only one course open to the com- 
mander in chief of our armies, and that was to strike the enemy as hard 



358 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

as possible wherever be could be reached, in Cuba, in Porto Rico, in 
Manila. Commodore Dewey was at Hongkong. He could not stay 
there. Only twenty-four hours could he remain in a neutral port. We 
had no coaling station at hand, and the only place on the broad waters 
where he could go was straight to Manila. We will not forget the bril- 
liant victory won upon that bright May morning one year ago, when 
Dewey entered an unknown harbor beset with mines and torpedoes, and 
without the loss of a single man annihilated the Spanish fleet. 

PROPOSITIONS OF THE CRITICS. 

(1) Let us consider the propositions of the critics. Should we 
have turned the islands back to Spain and consigned the people to a 
future without hope? Would that be worthy of the American Republic? 

(2) Should we have delivered Manila to Aguinaldo and his tribe of 
Tagals, which composed only a small part of the population of the 
archipelago, a tribe that actually attempted to burn the city and to 
massacre the white population? Would that have been worthy of the 
American Republic? 

(3) The project of consigning the Philippines to the joint guardian- 
ship of European powers was perhaps the wildest of all. To deliver 
these people to the care of guardians who are continually fighting each 
other for such prey as they can gather in distant regions of the earth 
is not fraught with the prospect of happiness. The Empire of Turkey 
has long been subjected to just this sort of joint protection. The Ameri- 
can massacres and the war in Crete show how it has succeeded. In 
Samoa we have ourselves taken part in just this sort of joint dominion, 
and it has not been marked with success. To deliver the islands to the 
rule of any single power would have involved great danger of a Euro- 
pean war. Besides the critics of the administration tell us that islands 
of that kind cannot be delivered by one power to another. So that was 
impossible. 

HON. J. P. DOLLIVER, M. C, IOWA. 

THE AGUINALDO GOVERNMENT AND THE HUBBUB OF LIBERTY. 

When a man undertakes to attack his country he ought at least to 
understand the facts in the case and tell the truth about it. I undertake 
to say that the men who are filling this country with noisy maledictions 
against the President of the United States are not familiar with the 
facts of our Philippine foot race. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 359 

They say that President McKinley went to the Philippine Islands for 
the purpose of subjugating them and said when he got there: "Submit 
or die." 

President McKinley is not the man who took the American people 
to the Philippine Islands. It was Admiral Dewey. 

I saw the order in the President's handwriting directing our great 
Admiral in Asia to find the Spanish fleet and capture or destroy it, but 
neither the President nor the Navy Department expected the Admiral 
to be able to bunch them. 

We expected to be chasing that fleet all over the Pacific Ocean 
throughout the summer, and gather the most of them in by late in the 
fall at any rate. 

The fact is that nobody in particular took us to Manila. When they 
blew us up in Havana the law of gravitation did the rest. We came 
down in Manila, and when we got there we had responsibilities as well 
defined as the Ten Commandments. Having wiped out the only existing 
government that there was there, we had the responsibility for the 
maintenance of order and the protection of life, liberty and property 
throughout those islands. 

For one I am not sorry that we stayed there. In fact, I don't see 
how we could very well have gotten away. Nobody seemed to suggest 
that we ought to have departed. 

They said that McKinley wanted to go there to exterminate those 
people. On the contrary, on the 8th day of January, he sent to Ad- 
miral Dewey and to General Otis a distinct order not to fire on them 
under any circumstances, but to treat them with kindness, patience 
and consideration and get along with them in peace. 

On the 13th day of February, being duly advised by certain hum- 
bug senators and representatives in Washington, on a telegraphic 
dispatch from a gentleman by the name of Agoncillo, who left town 
immediately, they fired on us. There were a great many of us that 
didn't like to see those poor people fired upon, but there wasn't one 
of us, so far as I have been able to find out, that felt that we were 
under any obligation to run from that particular kind of soldier. And 
so we are going to fight them to a finish, and we haven't done a thing 
that has not been indorsed by our admiral and by our general. 

I picked up recently a letter written to the Topeka Capital by a 
young man from Kansas, who learned to swim in an old swimming 
hole down there on the banks of Deer Creek, in Kansas— Colonel Fun- 
ston. 



360 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

He is not particularly an enemy of liberty. 

I saw him more than a year ago, wounded as a volunteer aid on 
the staff of Gomez in the original Cuban insurrection — I knew him — 
served with his father, Farmer Funston, in the Fifty-first Congress. 
He is an intelligent newsi>aper man and a lover of liberty. With all 
due respect to college professors, there is not a college professor in 
America that loves liberty any better than Brother Funston. What 
does he say? 

"I am afraid that some people at home will lie awake at nights 
worrying about the ethics of this war. Liberty simply means to them 
a license to raise hell." 

And if these Tagals get control they would raise a fine crop of it. 
They are, as a rule, an illiterate, semisavage people, who are waging 
war not against tyranny, but against Anglo-Saxon order and protec- 
tion. I have read in some newspapers a prediction that pretty soon 
Aguinaldo will have more friends in the United States than William 
McKinley will have. , 

Who is Aguinaldo? He is a young man, 28 years old. What is 
the Philippine Republic? It is the dictatorship of Aguinaldo. 

I have here the constitution of the Philippine Republic laid before 
our Paris commission dui-ing their sessions last August. I want to 
read to you the tenth article of the constitution of this particular insti- 
tution in the Philippine Islands: 

"The President of the government is the personification of the Phil- 
ippine people, and in accordance with this idea it shall not be possible 
to hold him responsible while he holds the office.'' 

That is the government about which this hubbub of liberty is raised. 

JUDGE OLIVER H. HORTON. 

NO MAN HAS THE RIGHT TO DISCOURAGE HIS COUNTRY'S DEFENSES. 

What would the President's critics have him do? Would they have 
him, as commander-in-chief, require Dewey to humiliate himself and 
his nation by sailing out of that harbor, trailing in his wake the flag 
of his country in dishonor? 

In August, 1808, a conference was held in Saratoga Springs, X. Y., 
"to consider the future foreign policy of the United States." In the 
resolutions adopted at that conference it is said: 

"As soon as the islands under our present protection can be trusted 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 361 

to govern themselves they should be allowed home rule, either iude- 
pendently or as a part of the United States, as hereinafter recom- 
mended. Until such time as they may be able to govern themselves 
they should continue under the protection of the United States, and 
the fiuestiou as to whether at some future period, at the mutual desire 
of both, they should be permanently annexed should be left to the 
time when it arises." 

Among the fifty-two signers of those resolutions you may find the 
names of Carl Schurz, Samuel Gompers, Robert Treat Paiue, Edwin 
Burritt Smith and Henry Wade Rogers. These men, with the other 
signers, presented those resolutions to President McKinley in person. 

If this question from those resolutions was wise and prudent and 
good then why not now? Every man has a right to his convictions 
upon public questions, but no man ought to publicly utter sentiments 
which tend to humiliate or discourage his country's defenders in the 
fields or to lessen his country's influence in the family of nations. 

As against our country and in support of the brave and loyal men 
at the front there should be no party, no sect, no section, no nation- 
ality, no sophistry of political economists — no fire from the rear. 

BISHOP SAMUEL FALLOWS, D. D., LL. D. 

PRESIDENT Mckinley of the Abraham Lincoln stripe. 

American patriotism is not a weeping and wailing and gnashing 
of teeth because Amei'ican soldiers and sailors have just been adding 
through divine providence a new and imperishable luster to our family 
name. 

The flag which has waved in glory over an expanding country from 
1776 to 1899, under which the reunited soldiery of the blue and the 
gray, with their valorous, patriotic sons, have so splendidly striven 
together, will not be shot down at a range of 10,000 miles with the 
sulphurous paper wads of a Boston pamphleteer. 

Not money, not lust of conquest, not desire of territorial expan- 
sion began the Spanish-American war, but humanity. In its every 
phase of anguish and suffering humanity has continued and crowned 
American- chivalry with everlasting honor. And in God's good time, 
which we fervently pray may speedily come, humanity shall bring 
it to a triumphant close. 

All hail to the nation's chief, on whom rests the burden of the 



362 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

whole nation's responsibility. Heaven forbid that we should add one 
scruple to its fearful weight by unjust criticism and inconsiderate 
action. Rather let us show by our loyal devotion to the policy he has 
been compelled by the logic of events to adopt that without distinc- 
tion of party or sect we will gladly help him bear it. 

We all know that the President of the United States is not an angel, 
and I am particularly glad at this time that he is not, that he is one 
of our folks still. But he is neither a dictator, nor a tyrant, nor a 
king, nor an imi)erator. He is simply an old-fashioned, broad-minded, 
large-hearted, law-enforcing, typical American of our own Abraham 
Lincoln stripe. 

Most heartily, therefore, do I approve of strengthening the hands 
of the people-loving, the people-consulting and the people-reflecting 
William McKinley. God bless him. 



HON. E. BENJAMIN ANDREWS, LL. D. (Democrat.) 
(Superintendent Public Schools of Chicago.) 

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS UNITED STATES TERRITORY. 

I am one of those who believe that the American flag will, without 
any change in its historic creed of liberty, soon fly over every one of 
the Philippine Islands; that it will never be hauled down in any of 
them, and that all the Filipinos will before long hail its presence as 
an unqualified blessing. These views, of course, are debatable, but 
touching the nation's immediate duty in those islands, to the Filipi- 
nos themselves, to foreign residents there, and to all mankind interestetl 
in Philippine civilization and trade, I should think there ought to be 
no difference of opinion. 

The simple legal fact is that the Philippine Islands are at this 
moment as truly United States territory as Illinois. The President 
must do his utmost to create civil order there or break his official oath. 

As a loyal citizen I heartily approve his efforts. Our brave army 
and navy should be re-enforced if necessary and encouraged to press 
forward. All the citizen and all the soldier in me rises in protest when 
I hear appeals calculated to breed discontent, disobedience and per- 
haps mutiny among the men at the front. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 363 

HON. LUTHER LAFLIN MILLS. 

A PROTEST AGAINST NATIONAL HUMILIATION. 

While Dewey and Otis and tlie lierues around tliem are bravely up- 
holding the flag of the country in the Philippines, the title to which 
has already been accepted by the United States as an incidental result 
of a most righteous war, it is urged by some of the citizens that the 
emblem of the nation be lowered there, as never yet in all its history 
it has been lowered, and that in the presence of the world we make 
confession that the brain and conscience of America have assumed a 
responsibility which they cannot or should not carry. 

As I honor and revere my country I protest against such a policy 
of national surrender and humiliation. 

The course announced by our wise, patriotic and humane President, 
contemplating, as it does, the permanent welfare of the inhabitants of 
the Philippines, the bringing to them of peace out of disorder, the 
establishing by them of laws in the land and the introducing among 
them of civilizing and Christianizing influences is but a continuance 
of the purpose for which we went to war with Spain, when the mag- 
nificent public sentiment of the country demanded that we rescue Cuba 
from ruin and to its people bring the light of a "better day." The star 
of humanity led us then; it leads us now. 

No nation ever had a nobler policy than that of the redemption of 
another people, and this nation would be defiant of its duty and false 
to the great trust which it assumed when the treaty of peace was 
sealed with Spain and it took under its guardianship the barbarians 
of the sea if at the command of a youthful adventurer, with a few 
thousand adherents supporting him among eight millions of people and 
at the dictation of his sympathizers elsewhere than in the Philippines, 
it now abandoned them. 

I have no fear that such a course will be sustained by the thought 
and conscience of our people. They have assumed their burden and 
will carry it. They are great enough to bear the responsibility; they 
are dutiful enough never to shirk it. 

THE REV. LYMAN ABBOTT, D. D. 

PROPOSITIONS NOT SERIOUSLY DISPUTED. 

The following propositions seem to me undisputable, and so far as 
I know, have never been seriously disputed by any auti-e.xpansionist: 



36-i EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

1. When Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in the har- 
bor of Manila, the only government in the Philippine archipelago, real 
or pretended, de jure or de facto, was the Spanish government. 

2. By the destruction of the Spanish fleet the power of that gov- 
ernment to protect persons and property in the archipelago was de- 
stroyed. 

3. It is a well settled principle of international law, and a self- 
evident proposition of good morals as well, that when any nation 
destroys the power of an existing government it is bound to furnish a 
government in its place — that is, to furnish protection to persons and 
property until and unless some other government competent to fur- 
nish such protection is organized. 

4. The United States could not have evaded this duty with honor 
by sailing away from the harbor of Manila after destroying the Span- 
ish fleet, as the anti-expansionists then proposed; nor can it now evade 
this duty with honor by sailing away from Manila in the faith that 
the Aguinaldo or Malolos government has the will and the ability to 
furnish protection to persons and property, for 

5. There is no adecjuate evidence that it has the will, and the pro- 
clamation officially certified to by General Otis, calling for the exter- 
mination of all foreigners without apprisement or compassion, does 
not indicate the existence of such a will. There is no indication that 
it has the power. It is composed of the Tagals, who are only a minor- 
ity of the inhabitants of the Island of Luzon and a still smaller minority 
of the inhabitants of the archipelago. The government of the Tagals 
in the Philippines would not be self-government; it would be an oli- 
garchy. 

For these reasons it appears clear to me that the United States 
cannot escape the responsibilities of sovereignty in the Philippine archi- 
pelago until under its fostering care a government is organized both 
able and willing to furnish that protection to the rights of life, liberty 
and the pursuit of happiness for which governments are organized 
among men. 

It is my conviction, which events from day to day have only con- 
firmed, that it is the purpose of the present administration to discharge 
these responsibilities and to fulfill the obligations which they involve. 
Nor do I see any reason to doubt the official declarations, constantly 
repeated by the administration — I quote now from Secretary Long's 
address in Boston May 1 — disavowing "any purpose anywhere to sub- 
jugate or reduce these islands to vassalage, or make these people slaves, 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 3G5 

or deprive them of any rights w hich are enjoyed by our own territories 
at home." 

JUDGE EICIIAKD S. TUTHILL. 

THE CRITICISM OP MALIGNANT OR IGNORANT FAULT-FINDERS. 

Not during the struggle for independence, not during his two terms 
as President, did the great Washington escape the criticism of malig- 
nant or ignorant fault tinders. 

Foolish and presumptuous men, without adequate knowledge of the 
situation, without breadth of view to see what was wisest and best 
to be done in the struggle for the preservation of the Union in 18(51 
to 18G5, ceased not to croak and to criticise Abraham Lincoln. 

Great newspapers and leaders, who were willing to admit that they 
were wiser than the "western country lawyer," denounced the "groat 
emancipator" as unequal to his task, as weak and hesitating, as will- 
ing to drench the land in blood, to destroy the Constitution and to 
whelm the government in financial ruin. 

Not alone in the ranks of his political opponents were these found. 
From the classic halls of universities and colleges, from "reformers" 
par excellence, and from newspaper and magazine offices came the 
self-appointed advisers, who illustrated at once their ignorance and 
their egotism by assuming to criticize a Grant, a Sherman, a Sheri- 
dan, a Logan, because they so conducted war as to gain victories and 
to destroy the enemy and to end the struggle. 

Liars in the field and at home wrote to the newspapers lies about 
them, and they ceased not to denounce Lincoln and the "wicked" Stan- 
ton for every insignificant fault which their jaundiced vision could dis- 
cover at Washington or in the field. 

To-day the people of the United States know that they have a chief 
magistrate who in early manhood upon many battlefields gave proof 
that he so loved his countrj' that he was willing to give his life in her 
defense, and "greater love hath no man than this." 

They know that in the fierce light of a continuous public career 
since the close of the great war he has stood unscathed, patriotic and 
true, wise and experienced in all the concerns of state, sincere and 
faithful, desiring to do without faltering his duty in the great place 
to which the voice of the people, which is the voice of God, has called 
him. 

Again history repeats itself. The croakers, the self-appointed cen- 



366 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

sors do uot dare to question his purpose to do right. But they criti- 
cise the administration and find fault because our soldiers and sailoi-s 
are fearless and shoot straight; because those who fight against them 
get the worst of it, as may the enemies of our country always do. 

These do not seek prominence on the deck of a man-of-war, as did 
Dewey in Manila Bay, or in climbing the bloody hill at San Juan, or 
fighting a concealed foe in the swamps of Luzon, or in swimming in 
the face of Mauser bullets to place their country's flag where it be- 
longed, and shall remain. 

Ignorant, if not malignant, they cease not to find fault with the 
administration. Their efforts will avail not to keep back the ocean of 
civilization, which, thank God, shall yet cover all the dark places on 
earth, and shall make them in the future to blossom with the flowers 
and to be ripe with the fruits of a better era for the oppressed of all 
the earth. 

HON. GEORGE E. ADAMS. (Democrat.) 

ALL PARTIES MUST GIVE CORDIAL SUPPORT TO THE FLAG. 

During the last eighty years the American people have done as 
much for international arbitration as all other nations combined. Since 
1816 seventy-two arbitration treaties have been signed. Out of this 
number twenty-three have concerned Great Britain and thirty-six the 
United States. All other nations taken together have resorted to arbi- 
tration only thirteen times. 

What we have done in the past is nothing to what we can do in 
the future. We shall be the greatest industrial nation of the next 
century. We can exert an overpowering influence against militarism 
and in favor of a peaceful method of settling international disputes. 
But we cannot exert this commanding influence except on two condi- 
tions. 

First, the world must understand, as it does understand, that we 
are slow to begin war; secondly, the world must understand that when 
war does come men of all parties, whatever they may think of ques- 
tions that led to the war or questions that rise out of the war, will 
postpone for a time all discussion that only tends to give aid and com- 
fort to the enemy, and unite in cordial support of the men who carry 
the flag of the United States. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 367 

HON. LAMBERT TREE. (Democrat.) 
(Former United States Minister to Russia under President Cleveland.) 

THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNMENT MUST BE MAINTAINED. 

The brilliant naval victory which made the name of Dewey immortal 
and shed an imperishable luster upon American arms created at the 
same time conditions which we cannot escape. Great victories always 
do. The Philippine Islands fell into our hands. To have left them in 
the hands of Spain under the circumstances that existed would have 
justly excited the scorn and contempt of the world. 

To have turned them loose, unprepared as their inhabitants were 
and are for self-government, would have made them the prey of every 
European power and caused international complications with respon- 
sibility for which we could not avoid. Hence there was no course left 
but to throw around them the shield of the protection of the United 
States until such time as it could be properly determined in our inter- 
ests, as well as theirs, what should be done with them. 

The world thought the inhabitants of these islands were most for- 
tunate in having the protection of the government of the United States, 
which had, moreover, just released them from centuries of Spanish 
oppression, from which they were unable to release themselves. 

Their gratitude was what was naturally expected, but that utterly 
unscrupulous and dishonest leader, Aguinaldo, by base misrepresenta- 
tion of the purpose of the United States, stirred them to insurrection, 
and instead of kissing the flag of their rescuers they fired upon it. 
Now, will anybody tell me what the government could do under such 
circumstances otherwise than what it has done? 

Would its critics have had it withdraw the soldiers when they were 
fired upon by the very men they had just released from their Spanish 
oppressors? Did they wish the government to order the fleet of Ad- 
miral Dewey to come home? 

It is presumed that the American Congress will in good time deter- 
mine what shall ultimately be done with the Philippine Islands, but 
until then it is the duty of the President of the United States to main- 
tain authority over them, no matter how many men it takes to do it, 
and all persons there resisting that authority should feel the bayonet 
and the ball cartridge. To have these people expect anything else is 
in the end cruelty to them and belittling to our government. 



368 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

RESOLUTIONS DRAWN UP BY GENERAL JOHN C. BLACK. 

(Democrat.) 

(Passed unanimously at the great mass meeting in the Auditorium, Chi- 
cago, May 7, 1899.) 

First. We recognize that a condition of war prevails in the Philip- 
pine Islands between the government of the United States and certain 
men who are in insurrection against the lawful authority of the United 
States. We believe that such condition of insurrection has arisen from 
a course of events which, when once instituted, has moved in irresisti- 
ble sequence to the present situation — that this course of events began 
with the barbarities practiced by the Spanish government toward the 
inhabitants of the Island of Cuba. 

These barbarities were continued by the Spanish authorities in spite 
of our protestations and entreaties through a series of years for an 
amelioration of these dreadful conditions, and finally culminated in 
the destruction of the Maine in the harbor of ITavana. 

Every step which followed has been inevitably sequent of the pre- 
ceding events — war between the two nations, the success of Ameri- 
can arms and the consequences which attach to the conquest of an 
armed foe. Among these consequences were the occupation of the 
Philippine Islands by the American naval and military forces, and the 
substitution during the remainder of the war of the sovereignty of the 
conqueror for that of the conquered. In the Philippine Islands, with 
the exception of a single year, Spanish sovereignty has been complete 
since the sixteenth century. 

Spain collected the taxes, held the fortifications, appointed all the 
civil officers. Spanish viceroys, Spanish judges, Spanish courts admin- 
istered the laws which were proclaimed by the Spanish government 
and enforced by the Spanish army and navy. The sudden destruction 
of this sovereignty compelled the substitution of the sovereignty of the 
conqueror. 

No other government in the archipelago was competent to receive 
the authority surrendered by Spain. Our government had to accept 
and assume the responsibility of the situation and execute the duties 
devolved upon it by the change in the administration of the laws. The 
only alternative was to sun*ender the islands to anarchy or to foreign 
and selfish intervention. Neither course was compatible with duty or 
with the dictates of humanity. Therefore, after the conquest in the 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. ' 3G9 

harbor of Manila it was iucumbeut ou our government to protect life 
and property throughout the archipelago. 

We recognize and "declare the facts to be that from the 13th day 
of August, 1898, until the 4th day of February, 1899, peace prevailed 
in Mauila under the jirotection of American arms — that on the day last 
named an insurgent force assailed our army iu its fortifications and 
encampments under the cover of darkness — and by this act of aggres- 
sion inaugui-ated hostilities, the first result of which was intended to 
be wholesale massacre and the destruction of property within the city. 

We recite with sorrow the fact that the chief encouragement has 
been from some of our misguided fellow citizens, and to them must 
be ascribed much of the bloodshed and ruin which has followed. 

We further declare that the government of the United States has 
sought in every honorable way to secure cessation of hostilities, as 
evidenced by the appointment of a commission fully authorized to treat 
with the insurgents and to offer them peace and amnesty, and by the 
action of our military and naval authorities, who have at all times 
been ready to protect those who would surrender their arms and cease 
their warfare against the government of the United States. 

We point to the fact that these efforts of peace have been constantly 
rejected by the insurgents until it became manifest even to them that 
they were waging a hopeless war. 

Second. We declare our belief in the high honor and just action of 
our army and navy in the Philippine Islands. We believe that our gov- 
ernment has taken every step that it should take to secure peace and 
order. We believe that the administration i*epresenting the govern- 
ment has highly and fully discharged its duty in the premises. We 
consider it our part to share the burdens of our government, rather 
than to embarrass its efforts and thus prolong the conflict of arms. 

Third. We know that at this very hour our soldiers in arms are 
face to face with an armed foe, and until the close of hostilities we 
know only our country, its army and navy, and its executive. We 
pledge to them while our flag shall be in battle our unfaltering support. 

Fourth. We as Americans take pride in the achievements of our 
army and navy, both in the war with Spain and in the present mili- 
tary operations in the Island of Luzon. The heroism of officers and 
men alike has shed renewed luster on American arms. 

The cause in which they have fought was and is a just one. They 
are now fighting for the security of the lives of peaceable noncombat- 



370 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

auts tbiouf;bout the archipelago, aud in just reprisal for an unpro- 
voked attack. 

We believe that the sending of seditious appeals to the American 
troops, engaged in hostilities, is an act of treasonable character, and 
that every appeal to them to abandon their colors or disregard their 
duty as soldiers merits the lasting condemnation of every patriot. 

Fifth. The government of the United States should be, and -wa 
believe will be, true to its principles in the disposition of all ques- 
tions that may arise in the future in our relationship with the people 
of the Philippine Islands. 

Sixth. We regard the great issue of the hour to be the success 
of our country in the performance of the duty which it owes to civili- 
zation. Until this is assured — until armed insurrection has ceased — 
we have no terms to offer but the American terms of unconditional 
surrender. 

EX-JUDGE JOHN BARTON PAYNE. (Democrat.) 

MISTAKE OF SO-CALLED ANTI-IMPERIALISTS. 

It is well known that the President was not in favor of a declara- 
tion of war against Spain; that his attitude toward that subject was 
conservative; so much so, indeed, that many of the men who now charge 
him with ulterior motives insisted that he was too slow and did not 
desire a war with Spain. 

It is a fact that twelve months ago it was recognized by nearly 
all of the people of this country that the situation in Cuba had con- 
tinued for so long and was so acute as to demand the immediate inter- 
vention of the United States, and the voice of the American people 
went up as one man, demanding that the atrocities of Spain toward 
the Cubans should cease. This culminated in a declaration of war. 
This declaration received practically the unanimous support of the 
Congress and people of the United States. 

One fundamental mistake made by the gentlemen who style them- 
selves anti-imperialists is that they treat the government of the United 
States as a thing apart from the people of the United States. I deny 
that there is any difference. The people here find speedy expression 
of their convictions, and when the time comes for us to deal with 
the future of the Philippine Islands, I rest confident in the conviction 
that we will be able to deal with that question in a just and humane 
manner; that we will not deny, alter or abridge the principles upon 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 371 

which this government is founded, but will be found both able and 
willing to deal with the question in a way to merit the continued respect 
of mankind and to add to the glory of our achievements. 

Meantime our duty is to stand firmly and unalterably by the gov- 
ernment of the United States until it shall establish complete suprem- 
acy over its foes, whether those foes be great or small, whether a mighty 
nation or a band of Philippine insurgents. Until then no loyal heart 
should for one moment doubt the loyalty, the patriotism or the wis- 
dom of the President of the United States or of the soldiers or sailoi's 
who stand before the enemies of the country, maintaining its integrity, 
its honor and its glory. 

THE REV. P. S. HENSON, D. D. 

A CONDITION AND NOT A THEORY CONFRONTS US. 

We are confronted, as a late lamented President of the United 
States was wont to say, with a condition rather than a theory. A 
poor wretch was lying by the roadside that runs between Jericho and 
Jeru.salem. He had been beaten and robbed, was bleeding and bruised 
and lying there likely to die. A good Samaritan came along. He 
took him in hand. He bent tenderly above him. He bound up his 
wounds. He gave him a cordial and he never rested until his work 
was done. 

That good Samaritan is Uncle Sam, who stumbled upon the Phil- 
ippines and was God-guided as he went, like that good Samaritan. 
He went in with Dewey. Not to have gone in would have been insan- 
ity. To sneak out would have been pusillanimity. The thunder of 
Dewey's guns broke the grip of Spain upon that race of slaves. What 
then? Shall we deliver them over to Aguinaldo? Pray, who is Agui- 
naldo? It would be worth while to have his picture. 

Well we would know how to use his picture. There have been those 
that regarded him as a demon, and some that bow before him as a 
demigod, and they have had the effrontery to put him on a pedestal 
as high as Washington. 

Shame on such a man. 

When there is issued such an infernal proclamation like that which 
has come to us to-day, as if it was sent out from the bottomless pit, 
when such a proclamation shall be signed by George Washington and 
shall come to us, when it shall be authentically proved that he was 



372 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

guilty of such rapacity and cruelty as Aguinaldo, when it shall be 
shuwn that he stole away from these shores with his pockets filled 
with British gold as the price of his surrender, then you can sink his 
pedestal to the level of that of Aguinaldo. 

THE CUBAN JUNTA RECALLED. 

And whom does Aguinaldo represent? You remember the Cuban 
junta. Do you ever hear of the Cuban junta? Where is that junta 
now? There were those who insisted that our President should de- 
liver over the Island of Cuba to the Cuban junta. 

There was a clamorous crowd of them, and there was a clamorous 
crowd of little Americans who insisted that he should do it, but as 
that gem of the Antilles marches to-day, radiant with beauty and purged 
of its filthincss, the filthiness of Spanish rule, as it marches to enter 
upon a new era of splendid civilization, where is the man that does 
not applaud the sagacity and the level-headedness of President McKin- 
ley? 

And so to-day there are those that wave the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence in our faces and tell us that the thing to do is to deliver over 
those islands of the archipelago in the East to the people who are 
their rightful masters for "all governments derive their just powers 
from the consent of the governed." So wrote Thomas Jefferson. 

Do you remember that the Lord said to Joshua, "My servant is 
dead"?*^ 

And so is Thomas Jefferson. I do not believe that Thomas Jefferson 
was infallible. 

I believe that a live President in the year of grace 1899 is just as 
much of an authority as a President that lived and died a hundred 
years ago. I am no worshiper of a saint just because he is dead. Let 
the dead bury the dead. 

As to that hallowed document that declares that all governments 
derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, if that is 
to be literally construed there never was a greater falsehood palmed 
off by the devil upon a credulous world. 

It is not true of the government of God. There has been a book 
published lately entitled "The Republic of God,'' and there are a lot 
of palavering fellows who think that if they can get a consensus about 
hell and heaven that settles it. 

I do not think the principle will apply in a family. I am the father 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 373 

of a numerous progeny. I have not been accustomed to gather a con- 
gress of kids about my table to determine how the family should be run. 

And nations have their childhood just like infants. There never 
was a greater absurdity than the declaration that the people every- 
where, regardless of character, regardless of advancement, of intelli- 
gence and civilization, are fit subjects for popular government. 

Whether all governments derive their just powers from the con- 
sent of the governed depends very much upon the people — the kind 
of people. There are conditions of society, there are nationalities for 
the government of which the iron hand is better than a hydra-headed 
monster. 

The American people have been heard from through their repre- 
sentatives in Congress assembled, and they have ratified the treaty 
with Spain that ceded to us the Philippine Islands. 

And the President of the United States has no more right to-day 
to deliver over the Philippine Islands to the redoubtable Aguinaldo 
than he has to deliver Governor's Island over to Richard Croker 

The American people are not fools, and they are not fanatics. 
They are not howling jingoes, thirsting for blood and eager for more 
territory, and our friends need not work themselves up in a fine frenzy 
lest we should degenerate into a race of swashbucklers. 

We are a hard headed, lawful, broad-minded, industrious, peace- 
loving and eminently sensible people, and the President is a typical 
specimen of us. 

As has been said, he hesitated a long time before he went to war. 
He realized, as many did not, that war was hell. He abhorred war, 
but the time had come when it had to be done, and when it did have 
to be done, he said let it be done quickly. 

He did not want to sniff the air, but he let loose the dogs and they 
ran down their game. Go in Dewey, rouse up ye Rough Riders, charge 
San Juan, take Santiago, hail Sampson and Schley, Cervera's fleet is 
coming out, steaming out. Run them down and beat them with shot 
and shell. 

But they said have mercy. Better to have drops of blood now than 
rivers of blood by and by. We can have mercy then, but we want 
quick work now. 

That is what Grant said. There were timorous people then, afraid 
of blood, you know. Grant was a grim soldier, but he loved peace 
better than war. He fought with all his might and had a gun with him. 



374 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

That is the President, that is Dewey, that is the soldier in the field 
and the admiral on the ship. 

We never meant to go to the Philippines. We did not want to go 
there. We have no special desire to stay there now. But we have to. 
We have got territory enough, the Lord knows, and problems enough 
at home to settle. We did not want to go. 

We deplore blood, but I tell you who have the greater reason to 
deplore the bloodshed that is going on to-day, and they are the men 
who have instigated by their cruel suspicions of the President and of 
the government, the prolongation of this war in the Philippines. 

They never would have suspected us of mercenariness if it had not 
been shoved into them by men who ought not to have the name of men. 

"Every night through blood to light. Every night through blood 
to light." That is the history of the sweep of civilization all down 
the ages. That is the history of ours. 

In the providence of God Columbus was guided. America was 
founded, and a like providence has guided us to the Philippines and our 
flag floats above the islands. 

Through Dewey, through Funston — if ever a man was in the swim 
it is Funston — and MacArthur, and Lawton and many another hero of 
renown, we are there in the providence of God, and we are going to 
stay there until something better turns up 

If it shall be proved to our satisfaction that the Filipinos are capa- 
ble of establishing a republican government, there is nobody that will 
hail it with greater satisfaction than America. "All hail," we will 
say to the young republic of the East, to the first born child of the 
great republic of the West. 

And when that day comes, if it ever should, we will sail out of 
Manila, not as they want us to. We went in by the orders of Almighty 
God and we won't go out until we get orders from headquarters and 
not from Central Music Hall. 

And when we go out it will be with Old Gloi-y flying at the masthead. 

We will go out as we went in, in a blaze of glory. While all the 
nations of the earth and all heavens shall say to Uncle Sam, his benefi- 
cent task accomplished: "Well done, good and faithful servant." 

REV. EDWARD EVERETT HALE, D. D. 

On the Sunday after the war with Spain was announces! I said to 
my congregation that whenever I knew more about the existing trouble 
than the government at Washington I should offer advice to the gov- 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 375 

ernment and my own congregation. Until I was in possession of 
such superior knowledge, I said then, I would not propose measures 
or policies for the guidance of the administration. I advised the mem- 
bers of my congregation to adopt a similar policy. 

I am of the opinion that such a policy would be a good thing for 
most citizens to follow at this time. Conditions are not so different 
but that the principle obtains now as then. 

I hold it to be the duty of the citizens of any nation to support the 
government as against other nations and to trust in the authorities 
of the country in whom are intrusted the administration of the nation's 
affairs. 

I am a firm believer in a permanent peace between all civilized 
nations. It is practical, and I believe it is obtainable. As I have 
repeatedly urged in my public utterances, I think the peace congress 
proposed and called by the Czar of Russia, the head of the greatest 
military power on the globe, to be a significant and timely move toward 
the solution of international difficulties. We preachers like to look 
forward to a better future rather than cling to the mistakes of the past. 

THE REV. FATHER T. P. HODNETT. 
(Pastor of St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church.) 

I believe that the government should not be hampered in its action; 
that no obstacle should be flung in its path that would impede the 
execution of its plans at this juncture. Our flag has been fired on, 
our troops slain before we had a chance of explaining to the natives 
the nature of our mission. The insurgents miist lay down their arms 
— unconditionally surrender — ere any steps can be taken to definitely 
settle our relation to the Philippine archipelago. 

It is my humble opinion that the Filipinos are unfit for self-gov- 
ernment as we understand it. The rule, the dominion, the civilization 
that exists among them is Spanish. The United States by treaty has 
assumed all the rights and claims of Spain. 

If our troops are withdrawn anarchy will ensue, turmoil, rapine, 
confusion, murder and all the evils that follow in the wake of tribal 
strife and factious revolution, and our government will be justly held 
up to the scorn and contempt of European nations. The terrible scenes 
that occurred in Hayti and San Domingo will be repeated, and we can- 
not escape the responsibility thereof. 



316 EXP.-lXSIOy SENTIMENTS. 

Hence, we must upliold the soveroigntj- of Uncle Sam, support the 
President in his vigorous measures to put down the insurrection, if we 
would maintain our respect as a people and preserve stainless, unsul- 
lied, the honor of Old Glory. 



COL. J. H. DAVIDSON. 

FIGHTING MUST BE FORCED TO A FINAL OUTCOME. 

As to the present war, what is there and what has there been to 
do but to force the fighting to a final outcome? I for my part would 
not give up one island eVen if that island was no larger than a dinner 
platter in the big sea, for in the course of a thousand years it might 
grow and therefore I say keep it. 

Thirty-seven years ago the shackles were struck off four million 
slaves, and the name of the emancipator, Abraham Lincoln, was there 
and then made immortal. 

That was an emancipation proclamation to the Filipinos as well, 
notwithstanding what the philosophers of Boston do or say, or what 
the malcontents who stood on this platform last Sunday saw fit to 
declare. We depend on the loyalty and intelligence of the American 
people in this crisis as we have done on other occasions. 

We can rest assured that our people and their President will give 
the Filipinos the largest liberty and the freest government that is 
compatible with their intelligence. 

BISHOP CHARLES H. FOWLEE, D. D., LL. D. 

WE NEED THE PHILIPPINES. 

We need the Philippines; they'll come in handy some time, when 
we need coal. The situation in the east demands that the United States 
have an oriental rendezvous. China offers a market we can't afford to 
overlook — a market for the overproduction of this nation — and that 
market can be gauged and protected from such a point as the Philip- 
pines offer. Uncle Sam wants "a finger in the Chinese pie" and he's 
bound to get it. The welfare of the nation in part hinges on this, and 
that's why I am so heartily in favor of expansion. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 377 

REV. E. A. DUNNING, D. D., EDITOR OF THE CONGREGATION- 

ALIST, BOSTON. 

(Address before the Chicaf^o Conjiregational Club, December IS, 1899, 

on The Greater Nation.) 

What have we to hope or to fear from the Latin races? We have 
nothing to hope or fear from France ^nd nothing from debt-burdened 
Italv or decadent Spain, or the ficlcle republics of South America. 

But the contest will be with the Slav, with the Greek church. It may 
be a contest of brains or it may be of bayonets. In the far East the Puri- 
tan of America is facing the Slav in Asia, and in the West and South 
the Anglo-Saxon is facing the Slav in the Persian Gulf. 

What have we to do with Russia? The question might have been 
asked five years ago, but not now, when the most vital topic concerning 
our Congress is that of providing government for 10,000,000 of Asiatics 
and when our government has sent a diplomatic command to Russia 
that American interests shall not be disturbed in China. 

We know little of Russia. We know something of Germany and 
France and Italy, but we know little of the Slav. We have read the 
books of Tolstoi and Ave know that there are queer ideas of democracy 
expressed in them. 

We know also that the Russian stands for centralization of power, 
but we cannot tell the result when his ideas of centralized power come 
into conflict with the Anglo-Saxon idea of individualism. (Great ap- 
plause.) 

As to the Puritan's right to be in the East, no student of history 
doubted it. Few students of history are anti-expansionists, and the 
trouble with the anti-expansionist is that he is not a student of history. 
(Applause and cheers.) 

The greatest risk to the nation would be if America should do as 
the man with the one talent, dig a hole in which to bury its talent. 

The exacting master would demand the interest which his money 
should have made, and to the nation which had made the greatest use 
of its opportunities would the most be given. (Renewed applause.) 

REV. J. II. O. SMITH, D. D., OF CHICAGO. 

THE MISSION OP AMERICA. 

The sentiment "America for Americans" is being changed to Amer- 
ica for the world. It is our mission as a station to translate into history 



378 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

the Lord's ideal of greatness. "He that would be chief among you let 
him be servant of all," until the wild spirit of freedom shall rule like an 
angel of mercy in the islands of the sea. 

For a centui7 America has been in training under God for the place 
she is to fill in the future or forfeit the right to survive. We will hold 
our new possessions in trust for their inhabitants. 

Our republic could never inaugurate a colonial policy which would 
repeat the follies and crimes of Sixain, or harness Liberty t<i the tread- 
mill of American syndicates or translate the Declaration of Independ- 
ence into the language of George the Third, but we must contribute 
largely to the solution of the world's problems, and use our exhaustless 
resources in the sacred interests of humanity. 

Our gates are swinging outward and we must go to teach the difiQcult 
art of self-government; the meaning of equality, loyalty, liberty and 
love to half barbarous peoples, and lead the forces contending for the 
reign of the people. 

AMYAS NORTHCOTE. 

(A son of Sir Stafford Northcote of England, and member of the Chicago 
firm of Aldis, Aldis & Northcote.) 

SHOULD KEEP THE ISL.ANDS. 

I make the positive statement that England stood out against a 
European plan to intervene in behalf of Spain, and that but for Eng- 
land's decided as.sertion that it would neither interfere nor consider 
interference by others a friendly act the United States would have found 
itself opposed by the concert of Europe. 

I believe that the United States should keep the islands. I believe, 
too, that they will open a mission for this country. 

The Anglo-Saxon is a bom colonizer, and he owes colonization as a 
duty to civilization. The United States ha.s proved its capabilities by 
colonizing a continent. 

Let it keep on to the westward. Hawaii is a step, the Philippines 
another. 

The islands can go only to Great Britain or to Japan if the United 
States gives them up. 

If the United States gives them up the Eastern question will be ten- 
fold more entangled, but if they are retained England will feel that they 
are in the hands of a friend. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 379 

The English people do not want an alliance any more than do Amer- 
icans, but they do want to feel that if every other country joins to fight 
Great Britain then the United States will step up alongside. 

UNITED STATES SENATOR CARTER OF MONTANA. 

(September 4, 1899.) 

THE PRESIDENT HAS STRUCK A RESPONSIVE CHORD. 

The public utterances of the President have struck a responsive 
chord among the people t)f the West. The Republican policy should be 
to meet the expansion question squarely on its merits by declaring at 
once in favor of the permanent retention of the Philippines by the 
United States. The Republicans will have the support of the people if 
they continue to maintain the supremacy of the flag. 

I can pledge to the President the support of the whole West on a 
platform defending the flag and promising to open the Philippines to the 
products of the farm and the factory. 

GOVERNOR THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

WE CANNOT AVOID FACING DANGEROUS QUESTIONS. 

As a nation we cannot avoid having responsibilities thrust upon us. 
We cannot avoid facing dangerous questions of foreign policy any more 
than we can avoid facing dangerous questions of internal policy. 

All that we can do in one case, as in the other, is to try to solve these 
questions with honor, courage and intelligence. 

Unless we are false to every tradition of the American foreign policy 
we must continue to uphold the Monroe doctrine; but it would be better 
to surrender the Monroe doctrine outright than to discredit ourselves 
and make ourselves the laughing stock of the world by loud lip-loyalty 
to it, while we nevertheless decline to take any step which would make 
good our pretensions. 

We have asserted this doctrine in the past against England and 
France, Spain and Russia, and it will be a deep discredit to us in the 
future if we fail to assert it against any power in the world should it 
seek to gain a foot of new territory on the soil, whether of the American 
continents or of the islands that fringe those continents. 

Yet, as I said, it would be better to surrender the doctrine entirely 

than to bluster about it and then fail to live up to it. 
25 



380 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

The bully who does not fight is one degree meaner than the coward 
who makes no pretensions of fighting; and the worst offenders against 
the honor and dignity of America in foreign affairs are those who loudly 
proclaim a desire to entangle us in foreign difficulties, but who refuse 
to help make ready the forces by which alone our pretensions would be 
made good. 



HON. BINGER HERMANN, COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL 

LAND OFFICE. 

WEST WANTS EXPANSION. 

"Everybody on the Pacific slope wants expansion. I assisted the 
Governor in welcoming home the Oregon volunteers, and I never saw 
greater enthusiasm. The boys who served in the Philippines looked 
very different from those who served in Cuba. They looked better when 
they came back than when they went away. They spoke as though 
they were well pleased with their experience, and that their enthusiasm 
was not affected is proved by the fact that many of them have re-enlisted 
in the new regiment now being formed. 

We have a few Aguinaldos out our way, but the anti-expansion sen- 
timent is so small that it will be difficult for the opposition to make an 
issue out of the question. If they do they will certainly lose the Pacific 
coast by it. The West has never known greater prosperity than it is 
now enjoying, and all signs are propitious for the Republicans. 



HON. A. G. FOSTER, UNITED STATES SENATOR FOR WASH- 
INGTON. 

FAR WEST IN PERFECT ACCORD WITH THE PRESIDENT. 

We are all in perfect accord with the President's Philippine policy. 
It satisfies Democrats as well as Republicans. 

It is a great thing for the coast people. They are enjoying a boom 
in business. We are proud of our soldiers and the record they made as 
fighters. 

There is no doubt that China would have been parceled out to the 
European powers had Dewey not taken the Philippines. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 381 

REV. THOS. B. GREEN, D. D. 
(Address at Denver, Colo., September 17, 1899.) 

THE HAND OF DESTINY SWEPT THIS NATION ONWARD. 

Can any man make himself believe that the past two years of our 
national history could have been dreamed out in wildest imagining by 
any man? Step by step, so fast that one crisis did tread upon another's 
heels, the hand of destiny swept this nation onward. 

No man marked the lines or created a policy. We were not even 
ready; we had few ships — few men — untried commanders. 

But God called — and Dewey sailed into Manila Bay — and Schley 
bottled up Santiago harbor — and Shafter and Roosevelt and Lawton 
and Funston and Hale stood forth, and at the head of all a man brave 
enough to face the duty as it came and do it as he saw it best, the Pres- 
ident of the United States. 

Standing here to-day, under the tossing folds of the flag we love, I 
give 3'ou the prayer that should rise from every true American heart: 
"God bless the nation; God guard the army and navy; God save the 
President." 

EX-GOVERNOR HOGG OF TEXAS (Democrat). 

We have expanded in defiance of the Texas Democratic platform. 
We must prosecute a vigorous war policy in the Philii)pines. They must 
be held, subject to the authority of the United States. 

COLONEL CHARLES DENBY. 

CLEAR TITLE TO THE ISLANDS. 

We conquered and bought the Philippines. They belong to us as 
Alaska does, and as Porto Rico does, and Florida and other States and 
Territories. We will do with them what justice and humanity and our 
own and their mutual advantage may dictate. It has cost us a bloody 
war to hold them. They are the dearer for that. We did not inaug- 
urate this war. We did all that men could do to avoid it, except that 
our brave troops did not run when they were fired on. 

It would seem that the war had to come; that the Filipinos would 
not have respected us unless they had trie<l our mettle. They believed 
that we wei'e cowards, because they had so often insulted us without 



382 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

resistance. We had turned one cheek; possibly they thought we would 
turn the other. 

Before the senate had ratified the treaty, before Spain had ratified 
it, before ratifications were exchanged, a general, deadly, vigorous 
assault was made on our lines. 

Our sentinel fired first. That was no excuse for a general attack 
on our lines. He obeyed his ordinary ordei*s to allow no man to cross 
his post. It was mere routine. Ue might have been shot himself by 
his own commander if he had not obeyed orders. 

The simultaneous attack along many miles of front showed that 
Aguinaldo courted the opportunity for war. He has been gratified. He 
has had more than he bargained for. He made the fatal error of believ- 
ing that he could strengthen his cause by killing our soldiers. He has 
consolidated our people. 

In private life, in public life, at home and abroad, the main thing 
is to be in the right. The private man leads a felon's life when he has 
soiled his honor. 

The nation that at this day forfeits the respect of other nations on 
account of wrong doing will find no compensation in the gains that may 
accrue from its treachery. In the history of our dealing with the Philip- 
pines there is not one act that we should wish to blot out. 

The preceding short account fairly tells the story as to what we 
actually did, and leaves the escutcheon untarnished. 

Let us discuss as we may choose, the propriety of making the Paris 
treaty, and what now should be done with the Philippines, but let no 
man smirch his country's honor. 

MURAT HALSTEAD. 

THE FUTURE OP THE UNITED STATES. 

What an advertisement has been made of the future of the United 
States in Asia! We have a greater interest there than any other nation, 
not excepting Russia and England. Wo possess the great archipelagoes 
of the Pacific, the future States. Tliey are nearer now than were the 
present States to civilization when their development began. 

American tools and machinery are going to Europe, American grain 
is going to Asia. The road to India and Asia has become the road of 
American growth and development. This country is coming into a 
greatness and splendor that will give every American reason to be 
prouder of his country than ever before. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 383 

We are at the turning of the century. It was one hundred years 
ago that George AVashingtou died. The one hundredth anniversary of 
his death sees the country serene and peaceful. The twentieth century 
is about to open propitiously. 

OPINIONS OF PROFESSORS IN SEVENTEEN WESTERN COL- 
LEGES REGARDING PRESIDENT McKINLEY'S POLICY. 

On the first of May, 1899, an anti-expansion meeting was held in 
Central Music Hall, Chicago. It was presided over by President Ilenry. 
Wade Rogers, LL. D., of the Northwestern University, a moderate 
anti-expansionist. Professor Lawrence Laughlin of the University of 
Chicago, made an address on the occasion. 

In order to ascertain the opinions of a large number of professors 
in the Western colleges, the Chicago Tribune sent its correspondent at 
the seats of learning of seventeen of these institutions to interview them 
upon the question at issue. 

One hundred and sixty-two professors were seen. Of that number, 
one hundred and twenty-seven emphatically approved the President's 
course. The Tribune printed the replies given in its issue of May 3, 1899. 

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. 

Fourteen members of the faculty indorse the President's course, five 
oppose it, and one is non-committal. 

Eri B. nulbert, Dean of Divinity School. — I take an unqualified 
stand in favor of supporting President McKinley and the Government. 
The country was full of copperheads in 1861 and 1862. I knew them 
then and I know them now. I have no use for them. 

Major Henry A. Rust, Controller. — Until something is proposed that 
will solve the question I am opposed to criticising the Government in its 
honest endeavors. 

President W. R. Harper. — I have nothing to say on the present occa- 
sion. I have been quoted before and my position on the general subject 
is known. 

Thomas W. Goodspeed, Secretary. — As long as an enemy stands 
before our army threatening our soldiers with disaster and death there 
is but one course open to patriotic men. Assailing the Government 
and the policy of the country at such a time is "giving aid and comfort 
to the enemy." 

G. S. Goodspeed. — I am not an imperialist, but stand rather Avith the 



38-1 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

larrje majority of people here in the university, who would rather be 
called with the expansionists than with those who are criticising the 
policy of the Government. 
f Galusha Anderson. — I think it is a time when all good American 
citizens should support the Government. The people classed as anti- 
imperialists ought to be ashamed of themselves, and I believe they will 
be some day. 

Ernst Freund. — I signed the call for the meeting at Central Music 
Hall. Criticism of the Government means merely we do not approve 
of what is going on. Disloyalty is a thing we should not expect to have 
applied to us. 

Professor Frederick Starr. — I was one of the vice-presidents of the 
Central Music Hall meeting. That is enough to explain my position. 

P. W. Shepardson, President Hai-per's Secretary. — The Government 
must establish conditions under which it can act finally and its efforts 
to secure peace in the Philippines should be credited with honesty of 
purpose. 

F. J. Gurney, Examiner's Department. — I believe in the present 
policy of the Government and I should trust American citizens to 
support, it. 

William Hill. — The question at present is which will be the better — 
the rule of the United States in the Philippines or the rule of Aguinaldo 
and a few of his favorites? On that basis I should think perhaps United 
States government might be preferred. 

Jacques Loeb. — I am not only a loyalist but an expansionist. I 
believe the Philippines ought to become a part of United States 
territory. 

W. G. Hale. — I do not indorse the administration's attitude. As 
for the term traitor, which has been apjdied so freely to those who differ 
from our chief public servant, I am entirely ready to bear the title along 
with such men as Senator Hoar, ex-Senator Edmunds, Bishop Potter, 
General Alexander McClurg, and others. 

H. R. Hatfield. — It is our duty, until some definite plan is formed, to 
stand by the Government in its efforts to discharge the responsibilities 
ft>rced upon it. 

Albion W. Small. — I think the Administration's policy with refer- 
ence to thf Philippine matter has been cautious and wise. 

H. Hancock. — I think the policy of the Administration in dealing 
with the Philippine (juestion is wise. I cannot see any imperialism. 

Charles H. Thurber. — The policy of the Administration in handling 



EXPAXSION SENTIMENTS. 385 

the matter has been legitimate, I believe. The semling of literature to 
the Philippines makes the senders disloyal, and they are doing what 
some nations would hold as traitorous. 

J. Laurence Laughlin. — I do not think the Administration is pur- 
suing a good policy with reference to the Philippines, in accepting a 
scheme of subduing colonies of different races and habits. It is really 
putting itself against the trend of our institutions and as soon as the 
people have time to think sentiment will react. 

George E. Vincent. — In the present state of affairs we are bound to 
put our confidence in the wisdom and good intentions of the Adminis- 
tration. 

T. L. Neft". — The present policy of the government is contrary to all 
the best traditions of this country. 

ATTITUDE AT NORTHW^ESTERN. 

In the Northwestern University, Evauston, members of the faculty 
talked as follows regarding the President's policy: 

Dr. Robert D. Sheppard, Treasurer. — The feeling in our university 
is strong. My personal opinion is that the Philippines ought to be sub- 
dued and a white man's government organized there. It would be an 
error to suppose the university is not in line with the policy of the 
President. 

George Coe, Psychology. — I do not think we could have withdrawn 
from the islands after the battle of Manila without shirking our duty, 
but mistakes have been made since then and I am disappointed in the 
work of the Philippine commission. 

Charles Pearson. — It seems to me of paramount importance that the 
right of free speech and temperate discussion be maintained. 

Thomas F. Holgate. — We must support the President and carry 
the thing through. We cannot withdraw with justice to that nation or 
to ourselves. 

John H. Gray. — I do not indorse President McKinley's policy, nor do 
1 consider it treason to express my opinion to that effect when the 
country is not in peril. 

W. Crook, Science. — I see no way but to follow the policy of the 
President. The obligations he is carrying out were forced upon us and 
he should be sustained. 

D. D. Bonbright, Latin. — Irrespective of the right or wrong of the 



386 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

President's policy, I do not think it patriotic at this time to put obstruc- 
tions in his wa}'. 

John Scott Clark, English Language. — I have nothing but praise for 
the President's action up to the close of the Cuban war, except for his 
appointment of Alger. I am willing to believe he is still sincere, but I 
believe he has been misled by unwise advisers into making war without 
warrant on a liberty-loving people. 

James A. James, History. — I think it wrong at this time to do 
anything that would tend to embarrass the President. 

DIVIDED AT MICHIGAN. 

There is a sharp difference of opinion among the members of Michi- 
gan University's faculty in regard to the expansion question. In reply 
to the query, "Are you in favor of sustaining the President's policy in 
the Philippines?" interviews were secured as follows: 

President Angell. — We are at peace here, and I do not care to ex- 
press myself on the matter at all. 

H. B. Hutchins, Dean of Law. — I am in favor of sustaining the Presi- 
dent in his policy. 

A. C. McLaughlin. — I have not been in sympathy with the annexa- 
tion of the Philippines nor with the methods pursued by the Adminis- 
tration, but I am not so strong in my position as not to sustain the 
President in his policy. 

Fred Taylor. — I am with McKinley. I am opposed to an imperial 
policy in the sense of a desire to aggrandize the American nation at the 
expense of any people. 

Professor Johnson. — I believe the President is doing all that can be 
done at present, and am willing to trust future action to his judgment. 

Professor Hinsdale. — I am in favor of getting out of a bad business 
as best we can, taking everything into account. 

F. N. Scott. — I am much opposed to any violent condemnation of the 
President's policy or any attempt to interfere with his plans. 

A. H. Pettingill. — I am not in favor of President McKinley's policy. 

Bradley M. Thompson. — I am in favor of the policy. I am not in 
touch at any point with the gingerbread and lollypop policy of the 
Chicago Music Hall Fellows. 

Dr. B. P. Bourland. — I am not in favor of expansion. 

R. T. Ely. — I don't care to say anything about the matter. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 387 

OPINIONS AT MINNESOTA UNIVERSITY. 

The question "Are jou in favor of the President's policy in the 
Philippines?" was put to ten leading professors in the University of 
Minnesota with the following results: 

Dean W. S. Pattee. — I am with the President. The Philippines came 
into our possession as an incident of war. We must maintain order 
there because we have removed all other lawful authority. 

C. F. McClumpha. — I am in favor of it. I believe in expansion 
commercially. 

F. J. E. Woodbridge. — I was not in favor of the Philippine war. It 
is now complicated, and we must protect American interests. 

J. S. Clarke. — On the whole, yes. I hope the superior civilization of 
America will develop them into a better people. 

F. S. Jones. — I see no other policy to maintain. I do not think we 
can withdraw. 

W. M. West. — Yes. There is no other way now. We are bound to 
maintain a stable government. 

H. T. Eddy. — I think the President has done right. It was inevitable. 
We cannot let go now. 

G. D. Shepardson. — I think the President has acted for the best. It 
came as a development. There was no other course. 

Maria Sanford. — Yes. Our commercial interests demand it. I be- 
lieve it will have a good influence on our people as a whole. 

Dr. W. W. Folwell. — Up to date, so far as it has developed, yes. We 
are engaged in war and must fight it out. 

SENTIMENT AT DE PAUW UNIVERSITY. 

Greencastle, Indiana. — On the question, "Are you in favor of sus- 
taining the President's policy in the Philippines?"' professors of De 
Pauw University answered as follows: 

Dr. H. A. Gobin, President. — I approve of the President's policy, 
because I understand that it is a prominent feature of the policy that 
the Philippines will be allowed to develop a self-supporting govern- 
ment if they are competent to do so. 

W. E. Smyster, English Literature. — In my opinion, our country is 
under moral obligations to establish a stable government in the Philip- 
pines. I am willing to leave it to Dewey, Otis and Shurmann. 

James Riley Weaver, Political Science. — Most certainly, as far as 



388 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

developed. No other possible under political and humanitarian rea- 
sons. 

Dr. Hickman, Vice Chancellor. — Yes, it's the Lord's policy. I have 
no sympathy with the movement of Dr. Rogers. 

M. T. Cook, Biology. — I am an expansionist all the way through, and 
the President's policy has my hearty approval. 

Dr. Philip S. Baker, Chemistry.— Yes, we're there; there's but one 
course to pursue under the circumstances, and the administration is 
following that. 

Henry B. Longden, German. — McKinley has not any policy in the 
first place, and I believe our actions in the Philippines to be an outrage 
of all humanitarian and just principles. 

John W. Walker, Oratory. — I most heartily indorse the policy pur- 
sued by the administration. I am an expansionist. 

Dr. Edwin Post, Latin. — I am doubtful if the course we are pursuing 
is the wLsest one under the circumstances. 

SENTIMENT AT KANSAS UNIVERSITY. 

Lawrence, Kansas. — Members of the faculty of Kansas University 
expressed their views of the President's policy in regard to the Philip- 
pines as follows: 

Chancellor F. H. Snow. — The policy is highly commendable. 

E. D. Adams, European and English History. — Now that we have 
the Philippines, I am in favor of getting all that we can there and hold- 
ing it. 

E. M. Hopkins, French. — I have not seen the need of the aggressive 
action. 

L. E. Sayre, Dean of Pharmacy. — Now that we are in possession of 
the Philippines, I can hardly see what other policy than that which 
the President seems to have outlined could be adopted. 

W. C. Stevens, Entomology. — The policy of the President, as far as I 
can interpret it, seems to me to be about the only one that could be 
successfully used in the matter. 

W. H. Carruth, German. — I agree with the President in deploring 
the war. At present I think no formalities should be allowed to pre- 
vent a cessation of hostilities. 

OPINIONS AT KNOX COLLEGE. 

Galesburg, Illinois. — The professors of Knox College to-day had the 
following to say in favor of sustaining President McKinley's policy in 
the Philippines: 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 389 

President John H. Finley. — I think the President is doing the best 
possible under the circumstances. 

John P. Gushing. — I have confidence enough in the administration to 
let it handle this question as seems best to it. 

W. E. Simonds. — Yes, so far as present conditions hold. 

T. R. Willard. — The President's policy, as far as I understand it from 
his speech in Boston, I certainly sustain. 

H. V. Neal. — The President's policy has drifted into butchery. 

Albert Hurd. — Yes. The President's policy is necessary and will 
be beneficial both to this country and to the Philippines. 

H. W. Read. — Yes. The Filipinos are unfit for self-government. 

H. S. Latham. — I am not in favor of his policy or of holding the 
Philipi)iues. 

Professor Thwing. — Yes. It seems to me the President has done the 
only thing possible under the circumstances. 

George Churchill. — Yes. I do not see what else could be done under 
existing circumstances. 

Professor Griflith. — I am not sufficiently informed to express an 
opinion. 

AT ILLINOIS WESLEYAN. 

Bloomington, Illinois. — Opinions of members of the faculty of Illi- 
nois Wesleyan University on the President's Philippine policy were as 
follows: 

President E. M. Smith. — I am in favor of McKinley's policy as far 
as developed. I believe in obtaining unqualified and undisputed con- 
trol, and, this obtained, developing self-government. 

Dean R. O. Graham. — The present course is certain to result dis- 
advautageously to the United States by forcing her to maintain a large 
standing army; also through loss of moral influence among nations. 
Nor can it benefit the Filipinos. 

Wilbert Ferguson. — I favor McKinley's course until I clearly see a 
better. Am not in favor of permanent occupation of the Philippines. 

A. F. Caldwell. — The carrying out of the present policy is a duty the 
United States Government cannot shirk. 

R. B. Steel.— Emphatically, no. 

A. A. Walters. — Y'es. Any other course would be weak and cow- 
ardly. 

]\r. P. Lackland. — The Filipinos should have been told plainly that 
our authority there would be only temporary. 



390 ' EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

AT OTHER COLLEGES. 

At Iowa College, Grinnell, Iowa, Professors Macy, Wyckoff, Hend- 
rixson, Simmons, Wbitcomb, Smith, Buck, Emory and Nolan indorsed 
the President's policy, and Professor Heidel was non-com-mittal. 

At Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, ex-President Tuttle 
and Professors McLain, Kingery, Campbell, Studley, King, Thomas, 
Bodine, Milford and Osborne were unanimous in upholding the Presi- 
dent. 

At Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa, President King and Pro- 
fessors Boyd, Norton, Williams, Collin, Nicholson, Harris, Freehof and 
Burnett agreed the President must be upheld. 

At Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois, President Lyons, Vice- 
President McMillan, and Professors Graham, Swan, Brosius and Wilson 
were strong to sustain the President. Professor Maxwell said he was 
against imperialism. 

At the State University of Iowa, Iowa City, loAva, Professors 
McClain, Weld, Calvin, MacBride, Rohback, McConnell, Nutting, 
Shimek and Shambaugh were with the President, and Professor Hayes 
was non-committal. 

At Albion College, Albion, Michigan, the President's policy was 
indorsed by President Ashley and Professors Fall, Waldo, Barr, Ford, 
Goodrich, Kimball and Lyon. Professors Lutz and Benner were non- 
committal. 

At the Fniversity of Lincoln, Nebraska, Chancellor MacLean and 
Professors Bessey, Shennan, Caldwell, Nicholson, Barbour and Ward 
were a unit for supporting the President. 

REV. ROBERT STUART McARTHUR, D. D. 

(Calvary Baptist Church, New York.) 

ON NATIONAL EXPANSION. 

(Address before the Chicago Baptist Social Union, December 12, 1890.) 

"Two years ago, in the international meaning of the word great, 
there were only four great nations in the world — France, Germany, 
Russia and Great Britain. Now there are five great nations — France, 
Germany, Russia, Great Britain and the United States of Araeriea. 

"We have lived more during the last two years than ordinarily we 
would live in 100 years. 



EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 391 

"While anti-expansionists have been discussing expansion as an 
academic question, the country has gone on expanding with marvelous 
rapidity. 

"We have passed in one year from isolation to universality, from 
provincialism to cosmopolitanism; from a vigorous but somewhat selfish 
childhood to a robust and generous manhood. 

"To-day America sits crowned as queen in the congress of nations; 
to-day the foremost man in all the world is the President of the United 
States." 

"Russia is struggling for the mastership of the world. She now 
owns teiTitory equal to one-sixth of all the land on the globe. Russia's 
Czar soon can ride from St. Petersburg to Vladivostock, a distance of 
6,666 miles, without leaving his palace car and without leaving Russian 
soil. He can hasten forward about 2,000 miles more to Port Arthur." 

"The Queen's diamond jubilee was a remarkable testimony to Brit- 
ain's greatness. In the triumphal procession rode eleven Premiers of 
eleven self-governing colonies. 

"This noble Queen rules over a territorial area of 11,500,000 square 
miles — more than three times the size of the United States. She rules 
over more Mohammedans than does the Sultan of Turkey. She sways 
a scepter over more than 400,000,000 of subjects. 

"Sixty-one per cent of all the shipping in the world is carried under 
the British flag. This is vastly the mightiest empire the world has ever 
known; perhaps it is the greatest the world shall ever know." 

"Contrary to the strangely unhistorical statements of some Ameri- 
cans, expansion has been our traditional policy from the early days of 
the republic. 

"The purchase of Louisiana made us a great steamboat people. The 
acquisition of California made us a railway and telegraph nation, 
and the acquisition of Hawaii, Porto Rico, and especially the Philip- 
pines, will make us one of the greatest naval peoples on the face of the 
globe. 

"What American to-day would give up one foot of all this territory?" 
he continued. 

"We soon shall have a great merchant marine in every port and we 
shall have a navy sufficient to defend this marine in every port and on 
eveiy sea." 

"We shall not shrink from the new and enlarged mission which the 
lirovidence of God is opening to the thought and duty of the American 



392 EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

people. We have a message to all nations of the earth. We must push 
out into the Pacific Ocean." 

"These new problems will develop new resources on the part of our 
people. They will lead us away from the schemes of petty politicians 
who are seeking simply place and power. They will tend to the develop- 
ment of a true civil service reform, of a virile statesmanship, and of a 
world-wide Americanism. The golden age of our politics is thus in the 
future." 

"Another result of the war is a virtual, if not a formal, Anglo-Saxon 
alliance. A few pulmonary patriots will oppose this union, but all true 
Britons and Americans will welcome it with patriotic enthusiasm. 

"A new day is dawning for the great Anglo-Saxon race. 

"The Queen's birthday awakens an enthusiasm in the United States 
second only to that evoked in Great Britain and her colonies." 

"Another result of the war will be that the American republic will 
come up to its great place in the congress of nations. This nation has 
now reached its majority; it will never again go back to childhood. 

"It must take its place in bearing the responsibilities and discharg- 
ing the obligations of the leading nations of the world. We have 
striven too long to be an isolated people. 

"George Washington was one of the greatest men of the human race, 
but he was not omniscient. We have often made his farewell address 
a sort of fetich, chiefly because we have misunderstood his true mean- 
ing. 

"He spoke according to his light, as all men must speak. But he 
could not conceive of the greatness of the republic whose foundations 
he so nobly laid." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

FROM WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN. 
(Interview at Savannah, Ga., Dec. 13, 1S98.) 

DEFENSE OF THE COUNTRY. 

Our people defended Cuba against a foreign army, now they must 
defend themselves and their country against a foreign idea — the colonial 
idea of European nations. 

Heretofore greed has perverted the government and used its in- 
strumentalities for private gains, but now the very foundation prin- 
ciples of our government are assaulted. 

Our nation must give up any intention of entering upon a colonial 
policy, such as is now jjursued by European countries, or it must 
abandon the doctrine that "governments derive their just powers from 
the consent of the governed." 

To borrow a Bible quotation: "A house divided against itself can- 
not stand." Pharaphrasing Lincoln's declai'ation, I may add that this 
nation cannot endure half republic and half colony — half free and half 
vassal. Our form of government, our traditions, our present interests 
and our future welfare all forbid our entering upon a career of conquest. 

THE FLAG OF THE FREE. 

(Bryan's speech at Lincoln, Nebraska, Dec. 23, 1898.) 

Our flag stands for an indissoluble union of indestructible states. 
Every state is represented by a star, and every territory sees in the 
constitution a star of hope that it will some day take its place in the 
constellation. What is there in the flag to awaken the zeal or reflect 
the aspirations of vassal colonies which are too good to be cast away, 
but not good enough to admit to the sisterhood of states? 

Shall we keep the Philippines and amend our flag? Shall we add 

393 



394 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

a new star — the blood-star, Mars — to indicate tliat we have entered 
upon a career of conquest? « • * No, a thousand times better 
that we haul down the Stars and Stripes and substitute the flag of an 
independent repuMic than surrender the doctrines that give glory to 
"Old Glory." The mission of that flag is to float — not over a conglom- 
eration of commonwealths and colonies — but over "the land of the 
free and the home of the brave," and to that mission it must remain for- 
ever true — forever true. 

ANNEXATION AND FINANCE. 

(Bryan's speech delivered in Chicago, Jan. 7, 1899.) 

The forcible annexation of the Philippine Islands would violate a 
principle of American public law deeply imbedded in the American 
mind. 

Whether we can govern colonies as well as other countries can is not 
material; the real question is whether we can, in one hemisphere, 
develop tJie theory that governments derive their just power from the 
consent of the governed, and at the same time inaugurate, support and 
defend in the other hemisphere a government which derives its author- 
ity entirely from superior force. 

And if these two ideas of government cannot live together which 
one shall we choose? To defend forcible annexation on the ground that 
we are carrying out a religious duty is worse than absurd. 

The Bible teaches us that it is more blessed to give than receive, 
while the colonial policy is based upon the doctrine that it is more 
blessed to take than to leave. I am afraid that the imperialists have 
confused the beatitudes. * • • * Annexation cannot be defended 
upon the ground that we shall find a pecuniary profit in the policy. 
The advantage which may come to a few individuals who hold the 
offices, or who secure valuable franchises, cannot be properly weighed 
against the money expended in governing the Philippines, because the 
money expended will be paid by those who pay the taxes. « » * • 

Spain under compulsion gives us a quit-claim to the Philippines in 
return for .$20,000,000, but she does not agree to warrant and defend 
our title as against the Filipinos. * • • Still weaker is the argu- 
ment based upon religious duty. When the desire to steal becomes 
uncontrollable in an individual he is sent to an asylum; when the desire 
to grab land becomes uncontrollable in a naiion we are told that "the 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 395 

currents of destiny are flowing through the hearts of men" and that 
the American people are entering upon a "manifest destiny." 

Shame upon a logic that locks up the petty offender and enthrones 
grand larceny. Have the people returned to the worship of the golden 
calf? Have they made unto themselves a new commandment consistent 
with the spirit of conquest, and the lust for empire? Is "thou shalt 
not steal on a small scale" to be substituted for the law of Moses? 

IMPERIALISM. 

(Article written by Bryan in 1899.) 

Imperialism as it now presents itself embraces four distinct propo- 
sitions: 

1st. That the acquisition of territory by conquest is right. 

2nd. That the acquisition of remote territory is desirable. 

3rd. That the doctrine that "governments derive their just powers 
from the consent of the governed," is unsound. 

4th. That people can be wisely governed by aliens. 

To all of these propositions Jefferson was emphatically opposed. 
In a letter to William Sharp written in 1791, he said: 

"If there be one principle more deeply written than any other in 
the mind of every American it is that we should have nothing to do 
with conquest." 

If it is said that we have outgrown the ideas of the fathers, it 
may be observed that the doctrine laid down by Jefferson was reiter- 
ated only a few years ago by no less a Republican than James G. 
Blaine. 

All remember the enthusiasm with which he entered into the work 
of bringing the republics of North and South America into close and 
cordial relations; some, however, may have forgotten the resolutions 
introduced by hira at the conference held in 1890, and approved by the 
commissioners present. They are as follows: 

1st. That the principle of conquest shall not during the contin- 
uance of the treaty of arbitration, be recognized as admissible under 
American public law. 

2nd. That all cessions of territory made during the continuance of 
the treaty of arbitration shall be void if made under threats of war, 
or in the presence of an armed force. 

3rd. Any nation from which such cessions shall be exacted may 
26 



396 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

demand that the validity of the cessions so made shall be submitted to 
arbitration. 

4th. Any renunciation of the right to arbitration made under the 
conditions named in the second section, shall be null and void. 

If the principle of conquest is right, wh}' should it be denied a place 
in American public law? So objectionable is the theory of acquisi- 
tion of territory by conquest that the nation which suffers such injus- 
tice can, according to the resolutions, recover by arbitration, the land 
ceded in the presence of an armed force. So abhorrent is it that a 
waiver of arbitration made under such circumstances is null and void. 
* * * * But this is a time of great and rapid changes and some 
may even look upon Blaine's official acts as ancient hi'story. If so let 
it be remembered that President McKinley (Dec. 6, 1897) in a message 
to Congress discussing the Cuban situation, said: 

"I speak not of forcible annexation, for that is not to be thought of. 
That by our code of morality would be a criminal suggestion." 

And yet some are now thinking of that which was then "not to 
be thought of.'' Policy may change, but does a "code of morality" 
change? 

In his recent speech at Savannah Secretary Gage, in defending the 
new policy of the administration, suggested that "philanthropy and 
five per cent" may go hand in hand. Surely we know not what a day 
may bring foi-th, if in so short a time "criminal aggression" can be trans- 
formed into "philanthropy and five per cent." 

FROM AXDKEW CARKEGIE. 
(Curtis Publishing Co., Philadelphia, Penn.) 

Let me put on record my belief that, should the United States 
assume control of the Philippines she will have cause to ponder well 
over what the London Times tells us, as follows: 

"If the Philippines are to be effectively occupied a large naval and 
transport power will be necessary. The United States must show them- 
selves ready to repel any attempt on the part of other powers to attack 
a position which for some time can hardly be regarded as secure." 

It will not be sufficient that we have ships equal to any of the 
powers, to insure perfect safety on the islands. Something more will 
be necessary, for European nations combine and change combinations 
with alarming rapidity. 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 397 

Eui'ope is an armed camp with nine millions of trained soldiers — 
two millions of these in the regular army, while the United States is 
a hive of peaceful industry, with only 56,000 regular soldiers. The 
warships of Europe number over fifteen hundred — those of the United 
States only eighty-one. 

Obviously we have not yet prepared ourselves against these forces, 
even singly, much less if they are allied. * * * 

Of course we can prepare ourselves * * * but the fact remains, 
we have yet to do this, and until we do it is madness to incur the respon- 
sibilities of territory in the far East. * * * 

The entrance of the United States into this zone of constant dread 
of war is even more to be feared than the danger of actual wai* itself, 
except so far as the latter involves direct sacrifice of human life. 
* * * There can be no genuine prosperity in a counti'v which is 
kept in constant apprehension of war. * * * * Q^p path— safety, 
peace, prosperity, civilization. Republicanism. The other — dangers, 
taxation, sacrifice of life, worry, militarism, imperialism. Can there 
be any serious doubt as to the choice of the American people? 



FROM GENERAL J. B. WEAVER. 

GOVERNMENT WITHOUT CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED. 

"No man is good enough to govern another without the other's con- 
sent." — Abraham Lincoln. 

This postulate, selected from the many wise sayings of one of the 
greatest emancipators of the woidd, contains within itself in indes- 
tructible form, the whole problem of rightful human government. * * 

And yet we have a distinguished and honored citizen sitting in the 
chair of Washington, Jelferson and Lincoln who thinks that if he is not 
"good enough," he is at least strong enough, with the aid of an army 
and modern battleships, to govern ten millions of distant and alien 
people against their consent. And to prove his ability to do so, and to 
defend his position against attack, he has felt compelled to take the 
lives of thousands of people who were so wicked as to desire to govern 
themselves. * * * In all contentions involving the taking of hu- 
man life, either in single combat or on the field of battle, the moral 
sense of mankind must and will enquire whether the taking of human 
life could have been reasonably avoided. And if it could, the verdict 
of history and the conscience of humanity will hold to strict accounta- 



398 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

bility the man who deliberately refused to listen to the voice of reason. 
* * * The President thinks he has found a people to whom the 
Declaration of Independence does not apply! 

ITe assumes that one can deny to them, "life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness," unless they will submit to be governed by a people alien 
to themselves, whose seat of government is ten thousand miles away 
from their islands. 

When the President announces, as he did in his Boston speech, that 
he cannot ask the consent of the Filipinos to allow him to govern them, 
he virtually proclaims a war of extermination. If they will not consent 
but resist his authority he will kill, and if they continue to resist, he will 
continue to kill. » * • jijo conqueror during the last two centuries 
has ever enunciated a more deplorable theory-. 

Has not our Christian nation yet learned that we cannot substitute 
force for the Golden Rule and then reasonably expect peace? 

FROM HON. BENJAMIN R. TILLMAN. 

(Speech in the United States Senate, Feb. 7, 1899.) 

Are we to spread the Christian religion with the bayonet, as Ma- 
homet spread Islamism with the scimiter? 

There are two forces striiggling for mastery here, and the better 
instincts of every senator within the hearing of my voice leave him to 
side with me in the proposition that we do not want to shoot people 
into a civilized condition if we know how to get around it. 

The two forces to which I have referred as struggling for mastery 
are liberty and light, and morality — in a word, Christianity — contend- 
ing against ignorance, greed, and tyranny — against the empires of 
Mammon and Belial. 

In the summer seas of the tropics, two flags are afloat to-day upon 
two ancient cities. They both bear the emblem of this great Republic. 
One goes there, and is floating on the free air, as a harbinger of peace, 
order, prosperity, happiness, liberty. The other floats in ^[anila as an 
emblem of power, cold blooded, determined to do — what? To subjugate 
those people at whatever cost and force on them such a government as 
we think is best for them, and then, according to the language of the 
resolution, determine afterwards as it may be to "our" advantage, 
■whether we will sell them, or whether we will rule them in our "own" 
way, without regard to their rights. 



^ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 399 

FROM HON. GEORGE F. HOAR. 

(Speech of Geo. F. Hoar, of Massachusetts, in the U. S. Senate.) 

OUR GOVERNMENT AS IT WAS INTENDED. 

After all I am old fashioned enough to think that our fathers, who 
won the Revolution and who framed the Constitution, were the wisest 
builders of States the world has yet seen. ♦ ♦ * They did not dis- 
dain to study ancient history. They knew what caused the downfall of 
the mighty Roman Republic. They read, as Chatham said he did, the 
history of the freedom, of the decay, and the enslavement of Greece. 
* * * They learned from her that while there is little else that a 
democracy cannot accomplish, it cannot rule over vassal States, or 
subject peoples, without bringing the element of death into its own 
constitution. 

FROM SAMUEL GOMPERS, 

(President of the American Federation of Labor.) 

DANGER OF IMPERIAUSM. 

It is more than folly, aye, it is a crime, to lull ourselves into the 
fancy that we shall escape the duties which we owe to our people by 
becoming a nation of conquerors, disregarding the lessons of nearly a 
century and a quarter of our national existence as an independent, pro- 
gressive, humane, and peace-loving nation. * * * 

If the Philippines are annexed, what is to prevent the Chinese, 
the Negritos and the Malays coming to our country? How can we pre- 
vent the Chinese coolies from going to the Philippines and from there 
swarm into the United States, and engulf our people and our civili- 
zation? 

If these new islands are to become ours, it will be either under the 
form of Territories or States. 

Can we hope to close the flood-gates of immigration from the hordes 
of Chinese, and the semi-savage races, coming from what will then be 
part of our own country? Certainly, if we are to retain the principles 
of law enunciated from the foundation of our Government, no legisla- 
tion of such a character can be expected. 



400 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

FROM HON. ARTHUR P. GORMAN. 

(U. S. Senator from Maryland. Speech in the U. S. Senate, 1898.) . 

A MENACE TO THE REPUBLIC. 

From the whole transaction I shrink — from the whole transaction, 
in the interest of the people of the American Union, I protest — for, I 
repeat, I believe the absorption of the inhabitants of these islands 
would be more disastrous than the war from 1861 to 1865, so far as 
the material interests of the country are concerned. I think it would 
be more disastrous than the pictures drawn by the Senator from Vir- 
ginia of the great misfortune which came to us by the injection into 
our body politic of the slave, against the protest of Virginia, and be- 
cause of which, the whole land was deluged in blood and brother turned 
against brother. 

FROM HON. MARION BUTLER. 

(U. S. Senator from North Carolina.) 

A GOVERNMENT BASED ON FORCE. 

No man has ever doubted the ability of the United States Govern- 
ment to subjugate the Filipinos, and in fact to kill and bury every one 
of them if we so desired. 

If we should conquer such an half-fed, half-clothed, and half-savage 
people in a hundred different battles there would be no glory or credit 
in it for a great civilized government like the United States. • • • 
If we had the Philippine islands what would we do with them? 

If we attempt to govern them as a conquered people, it will be 
necessary for us to keep a large standing anny, at great expense, ready 
to shoot down and kill the inhabitants of those islands, whenever they 
evince the least desire for freedom, just as the English were ready to 
shoot us down in 1776. • ♦ • 

Besides, we will have to send a large number of oflSce holders to 
those islands, who would not only draw their salaries from our gov- 
ernment, but would consider it their privilege to oppress the Filipinos 
for their own personal profit and gain. What advantage could come 
to our people from this great outlay? • * • None whatever. There 
might be a few monopolists in this country who could gobble up some 
franchises, or valuable resources of the islands, for their own personal 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. ^ 401 

profit, while Uncle Sam and the American public footed the bills. * * 
We paid Spain twenty million dollars for a law suit. We have 
already spent much more than that amount since, in trying to establish 
our claim, which will be more than a white elephant after we have 
won it. 

FROM GEORGE G. VEST. 

(U. S. Senator from Missouri. Speech in U. S. Senate, Dec. 12, 1898.) 

ANNEXATION FROM A LEGAL. POINT OF VIEW. 

Every schoolboy knows, or ought to know, that the Revolutionary 
war, which gave us existence as a people, was fought for four years 
exclusively against the colonial system of Europe. ♦ • » 

What is the colonial system against which our fathers protested? 

It is based upon the fundamental idea that the people of immense 
areas of territory can be held as subjects, never to become citizens — 
that they must pay taxes and be impoverished by governmental exac- 
tion without anything to do with the legislation under which they 
live. ♦ ♦ ♦ 

I know not what may be done with the glamour of foreign conquest 
and the greed of the commercial classes of this country. For myself, I 
would rather quit public life, and would be willing to risk life itself 
rather than give my consent to this wicked and fantastic attempt to 
revolutionize our government, and substitute the principles of our 
hereditary enemies for the teachings of Washington and his associates. 

FROM HON. STEPHEN M. WHITE. 

(U. S. Senator from California. Speech- in the U. S. Senate.) 

THE PASSING OF CONSTITUTIONAL RESTRAINTS. 

The extracts which I present are announcements of the Supreme 
Court of the United States, and from the distinguished naval com- 
mander whose victory at Manila has made him an historical char- 
acter. • • • 

"There is certainly no power given by the Constitution to the Federal 
Government to establish or maintain colonies bordering on the United 
States, or at a distance, to be ruled and governed at its own pleasure. 
* * * It (the new acquisition) is required to become a State and not 



403 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

to be held as a colony by Congress with absolute authority." (Dred 
Scott vs. Sandford, per Taney, C. J., 19 How., 393.) 

"This decision has never been reconsidered in the Supreme Court of 
the United States." (Justice Miller's Lectures, p. 406.) 

"I speak not of forcible annexation, for that cannot be thought of. 
That by our code of morality would be criminal aggression." (Presi- 
dent McKinley's Messages, December of 1897 and April 11, 1898.) 

"In a telegram sent to the Department on June 23, I expressed the 
opinion that these people (the Filipinos) are far superior in their intel- 
ligence, and more capable of self government than the natives of Cuba, 
and I am familiar with both races. Further intercourse with them has 
confirmed me in this opinion." (Admiral Dewey to Secretary of Navy, 
August 29, 1898; Senate Document No. 62, part I, Sixty-fifth Congress, 
Third Session.) 

Spain herself believed in expansion. Imperialism brought her down. 
* * * The United States will never be too prosperous nor strong 
to adhere to constitutional restraints, and to work out its mission. 

FROM CHAS. FRANCIS ADAMS. 
(Letter to Hon. Carl Schurz, Boston, Dec. 21, 1898.) 

WHAT POLICY SHOULD BE PURSUED. 

The policy heretofore pursued by us in such cases, the policy of 
"Hands-off," and "Walk alone" is distinctly American. It is not Euro- 
pean, not even British. It recognizes the principles of our Declaration 
of Independence. It recognizes the truth that all just governments 
exist by the consent of the governed. It recognizes the existence of the 
Monroe Doctrine. In a word, it recognizes every principle and prece- 
dent, whether natural or historical, which has from the beginning lain 
at the foundation of our American policy. 

FROM HON. HENRY M. TELLER. 
(U. S. Senator from Colorado. Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

A NATION'S POWER. 

What is the principle that ought to animate the American Senate, 
the American House and the American people? I would say to the new 
inhabitants of these new possessions, "If you can maintain a govern- 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 403 

ment of order for your local affairs you shall be allowed to do it." I 
should say to them in addition, "We will, for your good, stand between 
you and the European powers, who would appropriate your country, 
and would inaugurate a system of colonial dependence such as England 
has in India, and such as Spain has maintained over you, and we will 
see that no foreign power interferes with you. * » * We may call it 
a protectorate, or we may call it what we please, I would stand back of 
these people and help them — help to give them a government that will 
secure to them the blessings of liberty. 



FROM HON. GEO. FRANKLIN EDMUNDS. 

(Ex-U. S. Senator from Vermont.) 

COUNTING PARTIAL COSTS. 

Rapidly developing events seem to show that a military force of at 
least 50,000 men must be kept up in those lands in order to our obtain- 
ing an effectual supremacy. And this force must be supported by many 
naval vessels, with their crews, etc. * * * 

Besides the casualties of battle with foes (some of whom Spain 
has not been able to subdue in two hundred years) there is also the 
constant and unconquerable foe of the tropical climate and the diseases 
always present in it. 

And besides this no troops from the temperate zones can long endure 
the effect of such a climate. * * * Our troops in the Philippines 
must be transported by sea four or five thousand miles. * » » Tq 
accomplish all of this, the annual and enormous expenditure of millions 
upon millions of the earnings of our people must go on indefinitely. 

* * * The Senate, however, may consider that while Spain ought 
to depart from the Philippines and renounce her dominion there the 
United States ought not to assume her sovereignty, such as it was, 
against the express will of the people of the islands. 

And in view of the evils likely to follow, even if those people desired 
to become a part of the United States, the Senate can amend the 
treaty so as to provide substantially, as the scheme has been as to 
Cuba, that the people of those islands should be left to govern them- 
selves as best they may, with such guarantees for order and personal 
safety of the inhabitants as shall be adequate to the preservation of 
order. 



404 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

Such a guarantee can be presently enforced at infinitely less cost 
of blood and treasure than our undertaking to assume and exercise 
sovereignty over the islands. 

FKOM HON. ADLAI STEVENSON. 

(Ex- Vice President of the United States.) 

THE MONROE DOCTRINE. 

The Monroe Doctrine is wholesome and enduring. It is the faith 
of Americans of every creed and party — is of the very warp and 
woof of our political being. • » ♦ This has been our settled faith 
and practice for seventy-five years. » • » Under it Louis Napo- 
leon, a third of a centui'y ago, was obliged to withdraw from Mexico; 
under it the empire established by foreign bayonets disappeared and 
the Republic was restored. Are we now to say that we still recog- 
nize the binding force of this doctrine upon ourselves? 

FROM DAVID STARR JORDAN. 

(President of Leland Stanford University.) 

FALSE STEPS ARE HARD TO RETRACE. 

It is our plain duty to withdraw from the Philippines as soon as 
in dignity we can. • * * Annexation without imperialism is sheer 
anarchy. Annexation with imperialism is still worse, for, so far as it 
goes, it means the abandonment of democracy. 

We make slave nations out of the Philippines but never free States 
in the sense in which the name State applies to Maine, or Iowa or 
California. 

FROM HON. WILLIAM V. ALLEN. 

(U. S. Senator from Nebraska. Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

RACE PROBLEMS. 

We are confronted to-day in our own country with a great race 
problem that must be solved soon if it is not to bring us trouble. 
• • * Are we now prepared, under these circumstances, to take 
within our population 12,000,000 people alien in race, alien in pur- 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 405 

poses and language, to a great popular government like ours? 

I challenge any gentleman on this floor to point out the author- 
ity this government would have, when the Philippines are annexed to 
the United States, to restrict the exportation of those people and their 
immigration here. 

There is no power to prevent it. 

FROM CHAS. A. TOWNE. 

(Ex-Representative of Congress from Minnesota. Address delivered 
on Washington's Birthday, 1899, at the University of Michigan.) 

"LEST WE FORGET." 

The possession of the Philippine Islands was in no way neces- 
sary to the success of the war nor within its purpose. Admiral Dewey 
went to Manila in pursuance of his well known instructions to "find 
the Spanish fleet and destroy it." In his subsequent operations he was 
assisted by the insurgent Filipinos, who were engaged, like the rebels 
of Cuba, in an effort to throw off the yoke of Spain, if possible a more 
heavy burden and a more odious tyranny in the Philippines than in 
the Antilles. 

Said Admiral Dewey on the 27th of June: "I have given the insurg- 
ents to understand that I consider them as friends because we oppose a 
mutual enemy." 

The publications of the government show beyond all cavil that, 
* * * our representatives immediately in contact with Emilio Agui- 
naldo and his coadjutors treated the insurrectionists as allies and that 
we were honorably bound to respect the relation. 

FROM HON. CARL SCHURZ. 

AMERICANIZING OUR NEW POSSESSIONS. 

The scheme of Americanizing our new possessions, in that sense, is 
therefore absolutely hopeless. The immutable forces of nature are 
against it. 

Whatever we may do for their improvement the people of the Span- 
ish Antilles will remain in overwhelming numerical preponderance. 
Spanish Creoles and negroes, and the people of the Philippines, Fili- 
pinos, Malays, Tagals, and so on — some of them quite clever in their 



406 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

way, but the vast majority utterly alien to us, not only in origin and 
language, but in habits and traditions, ways of thinking — in short, 
in most things that are of greatest importance in human intercourse 
and especially in political co-operation. • * ♦ j ^sk in all candor, 
taking President McKinley at his word: Will the forcible annexation 
of the Philippines by our code of morals, not be "criminal aggression" 
— a self confessed crime? 

FROM HON. JOHN W. DANIEL. 

(U. S. Senator from Virginia. Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

EFFECT OF ANNEXATION UPON AMERICAN LABOR. 

It is the first step that costs. To-day we are the United States of 
America. To-morrow, if a treaty now pending in the Senate is rati- 
fied, we will be the United States of America and Asia! 

Our name, like the hoop on a barrel, marks the boundary of our 
national projection and ambition. It is proposed to embody into the 
American commonwealth, as an integral part thereof, a large and 
miscellaneous assortment of Asiatic islands, estimated in number at 
from 1,200 to 2,000, and to make citizens of the United States, with all 
the rights of citizenship which attach to the inhabitants of an Ameri- 
can Territory, a large and miscellaneous and diA'ersified assortment of 
people. » * ♦ 

The treaty is the thoroughfare, and through and over that thor- 
oughfare eight millions of Filipinos march into the open doorway of 
the American Republic. More than that, 70,000,000 Americans march 
into the Philippine Islands as the Filipinos march here. 

It is a marriage of nations. This twain will become one flesh. * * 
Henceforth and forever, according to the terminology of this treaty, the 
Filipinos and Americans are one. I trust that yet, before this marriage 
is consummated, the spirit of American constitutional liberty will arise 
and forbid the wrong. 

FROM HON. HERNANDO D. MONEY. 

(U. S. Senator from Mississippi. Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

CRITICAL TIMES. 

This is a critical moment, when a turn of the wrist will send the 
wheel to the right, and carry the ship home and safe into harbor, or a 
turn to the left will lay her upon the rocks; and whether the turn shall 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 407 

be dexter or sinister, the future shall give judgment to the people. 

It is a serious thought that we are about to do something for which 
our posterity may blush — that in the very exuberance of, our strength 
we are about to exercise it without judgment or mercy; that we may 
esteem but lightly the rights, the liberties, the sacrifices of a people who 
for a hundred years have groaned under the tyranny of aliens. 

Are all of these 10,000,000 of people — nobody knows how many — 
unworthy of any consideration in this most international transaction? 

It is said that we have not treated with these people as allies or 
auxiliaries. 

Let us not deceive ourselves, for we shall not deceive anybody else. 
Senators fear that we shall lose prestige if we recede from the advanced 
step which they say we have taken, and we have heard a lot of rant 
and fustion that would do credit to a lot of barn storming tragedians 
about ''hauling down the flag." We all know that no hand but the hand 
of an American will ever do that. • * • When we lower the col- 
ors, it will be because national honor and good faith demand it, and not 
otherwise. * * * 

These people purchased arms to do what? To acquire their liberty, 
to conquer their liberty. These people who had groaned for a hun- 
dred years under exactions and tyranny in comparison with which 
those which drove our forefathers into rebellion in 1776, were trivial. 
These people, not discouraged by repeated failures nor by bloody pun- 
ishment, were making another effort as they had been doing again and 
again for a hundred years. 

Then Aguinaldo was sent for, not to excite insurrection against 
Spain, but to control these forces already organized in rebellion, in the 
interests of the American attack upon the Spanish forces in Manila and 
the islands of the Philippines. 

This is evidenced by the proclamation of the junta at Hongkong, by 
the proclamation of the junta at Singapore, by the correspondence of our 
consul, Mr. Pratt, at Singapore, of Mr. Wildman, at Hongkong, and of 
Mr. Williams in the city of Manila. 

Aguinaldo, on his part, promised that he would conduct the war 
with humanity; that he would control the forces that were operating 
against the Spanish at that time around Manila, and he was only put 
on board ship at Singapore when Commodore Dew^ey telegraphed, "Send 
Aguinaldo at once." 

He went to Hongkong and there he put himself into the hands of 
another American consul, Mr, Wildman, who, in the secrecy of the 



408 'ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

night to prevent anj interference, himself put Aguinaldo and seven- 
teen of his officers on board the U. S. S. McCulIoch and sent them to 
Manila. There he was put ashore and taken to the arsenal at Cavite 
and was furnished bj- the Americans with the arms which he required. 

The chiefs who were carrying on this revolution throughout the 
different provinces rallied around him and made him their leader. 

They came promptly in and gave their adhesion to him. Then the 
correspondence continued between General Anderson, commanding the 
American forces, and General Aguinaldo, commanding the insurrec- 
tionary forces of the Philippines. 

He was asked to give passes to our officers to go through his lines 
and was requested to furnish us with the materials of war. He did 
give us carts, bullocks, horses, firewood, and everything else we de- 
manded of him. In these communications he is called our ally — in 
others, he is called our auxiliary. * • * These are the men whom 
it is now proposed to sacrifice in order that we may have certain com- 
mercial advantages with the Orient. I ask you. Senators, does that 
commend itself to your consciences as representatives of the American 
people, as the custodians of their honor, their dignity, their majesty? I 
ask you, is that consistent with your sense of justice? 



FROM HON. WILLIAM E. MASON. 

(U. S. Senator from Illinois. Speech in the Senate on 
"Universal Liberty.") 

SPAIN AMD EXPANSION. 

Spain is an expansionist and has been for centuries. And have you 
forgotten the first rule proved by all history, without exception, that 
every square inch of territory taken by force has to be held by 
force? * * • 

Are we to continue to imitate Spain? She has believed in expansion 
of territory, expansion of commerce by force, without the consent of the 
governed, and her ships are lying at the bottom of the sea. Her flag 
has been dishonored, disgraced, defeated, and sent back to her penin- 
sula, and the crown of imperialism that she has sought against the will 
of the people has turned to ashes in her palsied hands. 



'ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 409 

FROM HON. HORACE CHILTON. 
(U. S. Senator from Texas. Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

ANNEXATION DANGEROUS TO LABOR. 

Blackstone lays down that great principle of Anglo-Saxon progress 
that one of the first attributes of personal liberty is the right of locomo- 
tion from one part of the domain to another. And upon original prin- 
ciples, as well as American authority, it is fairly deducible that when- 
ever we take the Philippine Islanders under our jurisdiction the 
Supreme Court will hold that it is beyond the power of Congress to 
prevent them from passing between different parts of the territory of 
the United States. * » * 

But suppose this danger could be safeguarded by legislation. Where, 
under our Constitution, do you find the authority to keep the productions 
of the Filipinos, manufactured in their own homes, from coming unim- 
peded to the ports of the United States? * * * 

So long as the Philippine people are held in allegiance to the Gov- 
ernment of the United States you cannot deny them the privileges 
which pertain to other persons who owe allegiance to our Government. 
Congress has no power to make discriminations between the people who 
owe a common obligation to a common Federal sovereignty. * * » 
And why are we asked to take up these dangers? Why are we asked 
to run the risk of admitting 500,000 Chinese and cross-breeds into this 
Republic, to say nothing of the vast Malay millions which stand behind 
them? * * * 

I would not have this government surrender all the advantages 
which come from our glorious Eastern victory. I would ask for coaling 
and naval stations in the Philippines, so that hereafter, if we had un- 
willing trouble upon the sea, we might have a base of operations in that 
quarter of the world. But I would rather have a treaty which gave 
fr'ie entry to American productions — yes, ten thousand times rather 
have it — than a profitless, and never quiet sovereignty of the ignorant 
and mixed millions of the Philippines. * * * Whenever we take the 
Philippine Islands within our jurisdiction, every man and every dollar 
of the American people will be consecrated to their defense. » « * 
Why should we cast American destiny upon a sea w^hich is bound to 
bring our people into bloody conflict with the powers of the Old World? 
It is a dreadful responsibility to propose at this hour of our history. 



410 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

The last civil war has already cost the people of the United States 
over 110,000,000,000. The wars of Europe during the present century 
have cost the people of Europe over $100,000,000,000, and the end is 
not yet. 

Shall we gather nothing from this experience? Shall we go head- 
long into a policy which has brought the European masses into a state 
almost equivalent to despair? 



FROM HON. AUGUSTUS O. BACON. 

(U. S. Senator from Georgia. Speech in U. S. Senate.) 

INDEPENDENCE FOR THE PHILIPPINES. 

There is but one Government among the leading nations of the earth, 
that recognizes the right of self government in a people — that recog- 
nizes that the consent of a people is essential to their government. And 
when this Government practically denies that right in the march of free 
institutions, the hand upon the dial of the clock of the world has been 
set back an hundred years. 

It is impossible to conceive that this Government will, knowingly 
and purposely, deny to a people the right of self government. It is 
incredible that the liberty-loving people of this country will, by force 
of arms, impose a government upon another people against their will — 
a people who owed us no allegiance — who are struggling to be free. 
There is no public man who will admit that he is in favor of that propo- 
sition; there is no official, no senator, who would not repel the charge, 
if it were made against him, that he would thus violate the right of self 
government. * » » 

Again, do senators consider the Herculean task which we undertake 
when we say that we will maintain a militaiT establishment in the 
Philippine Islands? Do they realize that even when not at war with a 
foreign power we must maintain there an army of at least 30,000 men? 
Do they for a moment realize what it is to transport 100,000 men across 
the sea? And yet, if we become involved in a war with a foreign power, 
we would have to transport more than 100,000 men across the Pacific 
Ocean, 7,000 miles. ♦ » • 

Situated as we are, with an ocean on each side, with the great power 
we have, it is an impossibility, so long as we maintain this position, for 
any nation to make war against us successfully, and no one will ever 




EDUCATORS AND STATESMEN- ANTI-EXPANSIOXISTS 




O.G.VEST. 



EMIMENT POLITICIANS AND STATESMEN-ANTI-EXPANSIONISTS 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 411 

attempt it. But if we reach out to Asia, if we become embroiled in the 
politics of the governments of Europe, more especially if in so doing we 
surrender our right to maintain the Monroe doctrine, * ♦ » then 
that priceless immunity is gone forever, and we are remitted to a period 
of wars, the end of which no man can see. 

FKOM HON. GEORGE W. TURNER. 

(U. S. Senator from Washington. Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

OUR SHIP OF STATE. 

I am not a strict constructionist of the Constitution. • • • i am, 
I believe, a liberal nationalist. But there are bounds to my liberality. 
I draw the line at that vain and boastful spirit which seems to be 
abroad in the land that we of this age and generation are entirely suf- 
ficient unto ourselves — that there are no problems that we cannot solve 
unaided — that there is no danger which it is not cowardly and un- 
American for us to fear, and that reverence for the wise admonitions of 
the fathers, even when incorporated in the organic law of the land, 
or when spoken in the great instrument which the organic law was 
framed to carry out, * * * is contrary to the progressive spirit 
of this age and this people. • • • 

The American people are not lacking in the faith and courage of the 
fathers. They have sometimes, however, been lacking in the wisdom of 
the fathers. But in every case the aberration has been temporary. 
When the excitement or passion which led them astray has subsided, 
they have returned to that wisdom and conservatism, always tempered 
with faith and courage, which is the birthright they inherit from the 
fathers. 

FROM HON. JOHN L. McLAURIN. 

(U. S. Senator from South Carolina.' Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

OUR NEW^ COLONIAL POUCY. 

It is idle to speak of Americanizing a tropical country 8,000 miles 
away. Our people will never consent for the people of that far-off 
land to ever have a voice in the affairs of our country. 

Therefore, to govern them we must inaugurate a military or colonial 
system utterly at variance with the principles of our Republic. 

27 



413 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

But even if by a strained construction of the Constitution the power 
is vested in the United States to inaugurate a colonial system, I am 
utterly opposed, as a matter of policy, to the acquisition of any territory 
that cannot be Americanized and brought into harmony with our insti- 
tutions. • ♦ * 

Imperialism means that we must beat our pruning hooks into spears 
and be ready to water distant lands and stain distant seas with a never 
ceasing torrent of American blood. It means a never-ending strife with 
the nations of the world. * * » 

Rome colonized in all parts of the habitable globe, and from the 
proud pinnacle of mistress of the world she has fallen into eternal 
decay and lives only on the pages of history. 

I believe that if we embark in a colonial career, unsuited as are our 
institutions to such a system — nay, with a form of government utterly 
antagonistic to the idea — that it is the first downward step along the 
path upon which so many nations have fallen. 

I believe it is the great rock upon which our republican institutions 
will finally be stranded. Senators need not call upon Providence and 
"manifest destiny." The most horrid crimes and foolish blunders of 
the ages have been committed under similar protestations. ♦ * * 
It does seem to me that the rent garments and whitened bones of other 
nations who have tried that way and found their death, should hold 
some warning for us. 



FROM HON. ALEXANDER S. CLAY. 
(U. S. Senator from Georgia. Speech in the U. S. Senate.) 

EXCESSIVE TAXATION. 

I ask again, where are we drifting? If it takes 50,000 soldiers to 
maintain a stable government in Cuba, where we grant them the right 
of self government, what kind of an army will it take to put in operation 
a government by force against the consent of 9,000,000 people on the 
Philippine Islands? At the same ratio it would require 400,000 soldiers 
to govern the Philippine Islands as an American province. 

The annual expenses of the army, previous to the late war, ranged 
from twenty to twenty-four million dollars. The expenses of the army 
for 1900 are estimated at $1-14,500,000, an increase of $120,000,000. The 
increase of pensions is estimated at about $4,000,000. In my judgment 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 413 

the acquisition and retention of the Philippine Islands means an anuy 
of 150,000 soldiers. It means that the annual expenses of the army 
will increase from $20,000,000 to |200,000,000. A large standing army 
means that the pension list will increase from |5,000,000 to |10,000,000 
annually. 

Then let us consider the dangers of disease to which our soldiers will 
be necessarily exposed when located in the tropics. The death rate in 
such a climate would be at least two hundred per cent greater than in 
our own country. 

FROM HON. HENRY U. JOHNSON. 

(Representative in Congress from Sixth District of Indiana. Speech 
in the House of Representatives.) 

IMPERIAL MISTAKES. 

Now I am determined that the President of the United States shall 
neither befog the issue between himself and those of the Republican 
party who oppose his Philippine policy, nor mislead the public judg- 
ment, nor escape responsibility for the gross official blunder which he 
has committed in connection with this Eastern problem. 

If this war for subjugation of an alien race, waged without the dec- 
laration of Congress — the permanent acquisition of their ter-ritory to 
our own domain, the creation of a great standing army and navy, the 
loading down of our people with grievous taxation, the departure from 
the policy of non-intervention in foreign affairs, is right, then the Presi- 
dent is entitled to the glory of the accomplishment, and no man should 
be permitted to snatch a single laurel from his brow. 

If, on the other hand, the policy is wrong, and fraught with grave 
menace and serious danger to the American public, the President is 
alone responsible for it. 

I assert that the entire policy is not simply an error, but that it is a 
crime, and that the chief executive of this nation is the one who has 
precipitated upon us the embarrassments and the diflSculties by which 
we are now confronted. 

ANTI-IMPERIALISTIC RESOLUTIONS. 

Resolutions adopted at the anti-imperialistic meeting, Central Music 
Hall, October, 1899: 



414 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

"We hold that the policy known as imperialism is hostile to liberty 
and tends toward militarism, an evil from which it has been our glory 
to be free. We regret that it has become necessary in the land of 
Washington and Lincoln to reaffirm that all men, of whatever race or 
color, are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We 
maintain that governments derive their ju.st powers from the consent 
of the governed. We insist that the subjugation of any people is 'crim- 
inal aggression' and open disloyalty to the distinctive principles of our 
government. 

"We earnestly condemn the policy of the present national admin- 
istration in the Philippines. It seeks to extinguish the spirit of ITTG 
in those islands. We deplore the sacrifice of our soldiers and sailors, 
whose bravery deserves admiration even in an unjust war. We de- 
nounce the slaughter of the Filipinos as a needless horror. We protest 
against the extension of American sovereignty by Spanish methods. 

"We demand the immediate cessation of the war against liberty, 
begun by Spain and continued by us. We urge that congress be 
promptly convened to announce to the Filipinos our purpose to concede 
to them the independence for which they have so long fought and 
which of right is theirs." 

THE REV. HERBERT D. BIGELOW, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO. 

(Address at the anti-imperialist meeting, Chicago, Oct. 17, 1899.) 

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS. 

The nation is standing at the parting of the ways. Two paths lie 
before her. Two voices are speaking.' One voice asks, "Which path 
will pay?'' the other, "Which path is right?" 

I do not fear the apostasy of the American people. Their religion 
is the religion of justice. The Declaration of Independence is the 
expression of that faith. Never knowingly will they repudiate it. The 
vice of mankind is the lust for possession. To-day that lust comes to 
the people in the mask of humanity. 

We are told that Aguinaldo has imperialistic designs. Then let 

• Congress declare the right of the Filipinos to rule themselves and let 

us recognize the government the people shall choose. We are told 

they are not fit for self-government. How can we tell when a people 

are fit for freedom? Why, sir, when they will die for it. 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 415 

If they were eucroacbiug on our liberties it would be legitimate for 
us to resist. But have we a right to murder them because they are 
not as good to themselves as we think they ought to be? We are told 
we are to "bestow" the blessings of a good and stable government 
upon them. Sir, we have been reared in the political faith that gov- 
ernments are derived and not bestowed. 

Is liberty dead? Have we lost the right of self-government? What 
is the crime of shivery compared with the insult of Aguinaldo in refus- 
ing to bend the knee to Empei'or William and his high priest, Hananias? 

Sir, we protest against destroying the first republic in Asia with the 
army organized for expelling the last monarchy from America. 



A WOMAN'S PROTEST AGAINST MR. BIGELOW'S SENTIMENTS. 

"Take down that flag! Don't let it be desecrated longer." The 
shrill voice of a woman, ringing out high above the tumult of applause 
that greeted the close of the Rev. 11. D. Bigelow's address. Hanging 
from the organ balcony over the stage was a large American flag, 
and to this all eyes were turned, as the woman, standing in the middle 
of the hall, pointed to it and repeated her demand that it be taken down. 

"I am the daughter of one soldier, the sister of another and the 
wife of another," she shouted loud enough to be heard above the storm 
of hisses that broke from the audience. "To sit here and hear that 
flag defamed is more than I can stand! Oh, it is shameful! shameful!" 

She stepped to the aisle and swiftly left the hall, taking with her 
a gray-haired woman who sat beside her. Her eyes blazed and her 
cheeks were red with excitement. She refused to give her name, and 
would only say that she was a Chicago woman. 

EX-CONGRESSMAN CHARLES A. TOWNE, OF MINNESOTA. 

DRIFTING TOWARD A MONARCHY. 

Under its present policy the government of the United States is 
drifting toward a monarchy. Tliere are big men in New York right 
now who get together and seriously discuss the prospect of doing away 
with the republic. President McKinley is daily acting in defiance of 
our constitution, and, more than this, I believe there is some significant 
understanding between the present administration and England. 

The policy of the administration in the Philippines, as has been 
repeatedly asserted, is against our constitution. On the 22d of next 



416 ANTI-EXPAXSIOX SENTIMENTS. 

February, when the senate convenes, Senator Fry, in accordance with 
the custom, will be supposed to read the constitution of the United 
States. I'll wager that they won't read the constitution. It is directly 
against their present principles. 

I want to say that the present so-called prosperity is fictitious. It 
will collapse within the next few mouths and the results will be ter- 
rific to contemplate. Our financial system has no sound basis. It is 
like a house of playing cards and will certainly collapse. 



PROFESSOR GEO. D. HERRON. 

THE TERMINOLOGY OF IMPERIALISM. 

In connection with the present unholy war of conquest and spolia- 
tion, waged in the name of progress and Christianity by the present 
administration against the Filipinos, who are fighting for their liberties, 
there have been introduced some startling and unwonted uses of Eng- 
lish words. 

First of these is the word "rebel." The head-lines of the censored 
dispatches use this word almost invariably. Now, a "rebel"' (accord- 
ing to the Century Dictionary) is "one who makes war upon the govern- 
ment of his country from political motives," and the Filipinos are no 
more rebels in endeavoring to repel our invading armies than would be 
the inhabitants of Mexico or Turkey or France if we should make a 
similar vandal descent upon their countries. 

"Benevolent assimilation" is another new euphemism which, in view 
of the number of dead and amount of loot recorded in the public and 
private accounts of the progress of our armies, is full of grim irony. It 
is best defined for common apjireciation by substituting the word "mur- 
derous" for "benevolent'' and "theft" for "assimilation." But then 
those engaged in nefarious practices always like to have their guilt 
concealed h\ phraseology. So the influential shop-lifter is a "klepto- 
maniac" and the wealthy gambler a "speculator." Says honest Pistol: 
" 'Convey,' the wise it call; 'steal!' fob; a fico for the phrase I" 

In like manner the "white man's burden" of Kipling has been used 
as expressing a duty of the white man to "carry the blessings of civiliza- 
tion and Christianity to the Filipinos if we have to kill half of them in 
order to do it," as one of the military advocates of imperialism has 
exjiressed it. 

More recent tendencies in the imperialistic terminology relate to 



'ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 417 

the division of opinion at liome in regard to the Philippine invasion. 
Those who oppose the continuance of war find themselves branded as 
"traitors" by the imperialistic press, while those who favor further 
bloodshed are ranked as "loyalists.'' In one view of it the latter is not 
a bad characterization. In our own Revolutionary War those who 
stood for the divine right of George III. to rule this land called them- 
selves "loyalists," and were eloquent in their denunciation of the doc- 
trine of the "consent of the governed" as the basis of just governmental 
powers. These "loyalists" of 1899 have the same arg-uments against the 
Filipino patriots which the loyalists of 1776 used against the American 
patriots of that day, who were also declared to be incapable of self- 
government and sure to lapse into anarchy if their "treasonable rebel- 
lion" against King George should succeed. 



EX-GOVERNOE GEORGE S. BOUTELL. 
(September 5, 1899, Springfield, Mass.) 

WHAT CONTINUED WAR MEANS. 

The continuance of the war means more men and more money. The 
increase of the army for service in the tropics means a longer death 
roll, and that without reference to the losses in the field. 

With men, and the frequent renewal of the supply of men, we can 
overrun the territory, we can destroy proper-ty, we can lay Avaste the 
evidences of civilization; we may blast the prospects of youth and dim 
the hopes of age; we may make misei'y the general conditions of mil- 
lions of human beings and the inheritance of those yet to be bom, but 
there are two enemies in the Philippines that we cannot vanquish. 

The climatic diseases of the tropics gloat upon numbers, and prosper 
with every addition. When you double or treble the army in the East, 
you lengthen the death roll and increase the sum of family and domestic 
misery in the same proportion. 

Our other enemy is the embittered hostility of the people, which war 
may aggi'avate, but can never remove. 

We declared war against Spain in the belief — a belief in which I 
had no share — that the sufferings of the patriotic Cubans were such 
as to justify and require our intervention upon grounds of humanity. 
The country was deceived and misled aud we entered at once upon a 
war of aggression and conquest, first in Puerto Rico and Cuba, then 



418 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

and now in the Philippine Islands, with hints that the interests of trade 
and the missionary spirit combined may soon demand our intervention 
in China. 



PROF. A. H. TOLMAN AND SIGMUND ZEISLEK, ESQ. 

(From addresses at Chicago, August 5, 1899.) 

Thank God for the brave Filipinos. They are more true to American 
principles than the Americans themselves. — Prof. A. H. Tolman. 

With the attempt to subjugate the Filipinos, the conception of sub- 
ject has for the first time found a place in our political dictionary — 
the bacillus despoticus has been introduced into our government sys- 
tem. — Sigmund Zeisler. 

PROF. J. LAWRENCE LAUGHLIN, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. 

(Address at Chicago, August 5, 1899.) 

A GREAT PRINCIPLE AT STAKE. 

Some wise persons object to any public protest of this nature 
(against expansion), because it may possibly be interpreted as giving 
aid and comfort to the enemy. 

Let us look closer at this attitude and its consequences. If the 
servants of the people in a short period of office may be left free to 
inaugurate any new condition whatever and then claim freedom from 
criticism because the conditions of their own creation have placed 
them in a critical position, then there is an end to free government by 
the people. 

There is a great principle at stake here for which we ought to 
contend. 

Do the sovereign people completely abdicate their sovereignty when 
they choose a public servant? 

Why should they not ci-y out in alarm at any surprising new depart- 
ure by their agents, especially when we are asked to express our opinion 
publicly? 

If any particular public servant makes a specialty of listening, then 
it should be our specialty to let Mm hear the voice of the people. 



'ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 419 

CLARENCE M. DAKEOW. 

ORGANIZED LABOR OPPOSED TO EXPANSION. 

In the last six months I have personally talked with scores of the 
leading representatives of organized labor. A laj'ge number of these 
men regard this question as of the most vital interest, and, without 
dissent, every one of them condemns the policy. 

Among the reasons why men interested in organized labor do not 
believe in the present war are the following: They do not believe in 
assassination or murder, either wholesale or retail. 

Any body of men who is suflQciently enlightened and humane to 
believe in labor organization understands something of the brother- 
hood of man and knows that men have no cause to fight their fellow- 
laborers in any land on earth. 

The working people of this country do not believe in a standing 
army. They know that a large army is a menace to liberty. 

The workingmen are opposed to it because they are interested in 
many movements for the good of themselves and the common good of 
their country, and they understand that the cry for blood, which always 
comes with war, entirely drives out every thought or consideration 
from the minds of the people and that a war invariably postpones 
indefinitely all reform or ameliorative movements. 

They are opposed to war because the strength of their cause rests 
in the humane sentiments of the American people, in the recognition 
of the principles of justice, honesty and humanity. All of these prin- 
ciples are forgotten and swept aside by the cry of war. 

They are opposed, to the war because they understand the vast 
expense that war entails. 

They know that it must be paid from the product of labor; that 
wherever or whatever taxes are levied they must ultimately be taken 
from the earnings of the laboringman. 

LOUIS F. POST (Editor of The Public). 

SINGLE-TAXERS OPPOSED TO IMPERIALISM. 

In my judgment the single-tax men and women are unanimously 
opposed to imperialism. I know of only one in Chicago and of only 
two in all the United States who favor it. There mav be others. 



420 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

My acquaintance does not comprise all of Henry George's followers 
by any means, but it is so extensive among them that I think I should 
know it if there were any serious difference of opinion on this subject. 

Moreover, the very nature of the subject is such that a well-grounded 
single-taxer instinctively must be opposed to imperialism. 

It is enough to observe that an attempt by the United States to 
force its authority upon the Filipinos under cover of a purchase from 
their late tyrannical master, the Spanish Government, is in violation of 
the principle of self-government in its most obvious and most widely 
accepted sense. Imperialism and the single-tax philosophy do not mix. 

RESOLUTIONS OF THE NEW ENGLAND BRANCH OF THE 
ANTI-IMPERIALISTIC LEAGUE. 

(These resolutions embody the plan of Prof. Francis E. Abbott, of 

Cambridge.) 

Resolved, That we repel with vigor the charge that anti-imperialists 
are "traitors" and "copperheads" because they are loyal to the Declara- 
tion of Independence; or, because they respect in others the liberty 
which they maintain for themselves; or, because they deny the right 
of one free people to claim sovereignty over another — much less to 
enforce that unjust claim by bloody and cruel war. 

Resolved, That in any democratic republic, anti-imnerialism is the 
only true patriotism, and that loyalty to the principles of our own great 
Declaration is the only true loyalty to the flag which represents those 
principles. 

Resolved, That, in order to refute this slanderous but mischievous 
charge of disloyalty in the most dignified and effective way, and there- 
by to undeceive thousands of honest voters who have been beguiled into 
believing it by political tricksters, we urge every anti-imperialist at 
once to sign the following: 

PATRIOT'S PLEDGE. 
TO DEPEND THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AT THE POLLS. 

We, the undersigned voters, pledge ourselves to each other and to 
the American people to subordinate all other political issues, in 1900, 
to preservation of the free popular Government founded by Washington 
and saved by Lincoln; to oppose at all costs the degradation of this 
democratic republic into a military empire; and to cast our ballots in 



ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 421 

favor of only such party platform and candidates as shall be thoroughly 
loyal to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United 
States, and the equal rights of all mankind. 

Resolved, That we request the Executive Committee to use all pos- 
sible means to obtain signatures to this patriots' pledge before Congress 
meets or can be induced to sanction the President's policy of conquest 
in the Philippine Islands. 

SENATOR GEORGE F. HOAR. 

(From a letter written to the Rev. J. B. Remensnyder, of Kew York, 

November 14, 1899.) 

THE IMPERIALISTS ARE THE REAL, ENEMIES OF THE FLAG. 

I am very much obliged to you for your kind and sympathetic letter, 
and for the excellent statement of our duty to the American flag which 
you inclose. 

Certainly the flag should never be lowered from any moral field over 
which it has once waved. To follow the flag is to follow the principles 
of freedom and humanity for which it stands. 

To claim that we must follow it when it stands for injustice or 
oppression is like claiming that we must take the nostrums of the 
quack doctor who stamps it on his wares, or follow every scheme of 
wickedness or fraud, if only the flag be put at the head of the prospectus. 

The American flag is in more danger from the imperialists than 
there would be if the whole of Christendom were to combine its power 
against it. Foreign violence at its worst could only rend it. But these 
men are trying to stain it. 

As to the publication of my Philippine article, I am no good judge 
of its value, and could not undertake to suggest to other people what 
they shall do with it. It is at anybody's service for any use which may 
do good. 

EWING WINSLOW TO PRESIDENT McKINLEY. 

On November 30th, 1S99, Ewing Winslow sent the following 
''thanksgiving greeting" to the President: 

Lovers of liberty, who would rather be the hunted patriot than the 
blood-guilty usurper to-day, will nevertheless use it to pray that he, 
who has given America her first thanksgiving of shame, may be brought 
to repentance and a better mind. 



422 ANTI-EXPANSION SENTIMENTS. 

GENERAL W. B. SHATTUC AND EDWARD ATKINSON. 
(Correspondence between them.) 

General Shattuc bejjan the correspondence and contest by objecting 
to Mr. Atkinson sending "unclean and disloyal publications'' to Gen- 
eral Shattuc's home. Mr. Atkinson in returu threatened to make a 
personal fight against General Shattuc in the First Ohio congressional 
district. The result has been that Shattuc has made more friends than 
he ever did before in his life by his patriotic stand. On September 19 
he sent Mr. Atkinson the warmest letter of the whole lot, in answer 
to a brief letter from the Boston man. Atkinson's letter and Shattuc's 
answer follow: 

BOSTON, Mass., Sept. 14, 1899.— W. D. Shattuc, M. C, Cincinnati- 
Dear Sir: Yours of the 13th has been received too late to be included in 
my special edition of No. 5, addressed "To the Voters of the First Ohio 
District, and Others," which will be in circulation next week. Have 
taken your advice in making an early beginning in securing a change in 
the representation from that district. The document is already going 
through the press. Yours very truly, EDWARD ATKINSON. 

CINCINNATI, Ohio, Sept. 19.— Edward Atkinson, President Anti- 
Imperialist League, Boston, Mass. — Dear Sir: Replying to your letter 
of the 14th inst., I thought I could start your rebel press in a hurry. I 
was quite sure you would not want to print a pen picture of yourself, 
true to life, in one of your own publications. I observe that you are less 
frisky, less demonstrative in your last letter than you were when you 
commenced this correspondence. I had an idea when you sent me your 
first egotistical, patronizing letter that you might possibly discover your 
mistake before you got through with the correspondence. 

You say in your letter of the 6th inst. that I "should not use bad lan- 
guage." My "language" expresses my sentiments. Any "language" 
that stands for patriotism, love of country, and loyalty to same is "bad 
language" to you. Any "language" that breathes the spirit of secession, 
sedition and treason is approveil by you. 

Now, let me call your attention to the fact that my "language" has 
not been prohibited by this government from passing through the mails. 
Your "language" has been so prohibited. It was prohibited, too, be- 
cause it was treasonable, seditious, and disloyal. An revoir, 

W. B. SHATTUC. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

CONFERENCE AND OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 
PROF. JOHN B. CLARK, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK. 

TRUSTS MAY BECOME POPULAR. 

The whole great economy that consolidation insures may be made 
to inure to the benefit of the public if only potential competition does 
Its normal work. Trusts with the element of true monopoly taken out 
of them might become as popular as they are now unpopular. They 
might give to the country in which they should be most numerous a 
decisive advantage in the struggle for the trade of the world. 

What would the total extinction of trusts mean? 

It would mean security bought at the cost of wasteful production. 

What would the full development of trusts unchecked by poten- 
tial competition mean? 

It would mean a perverted distribution, with extortionate profits for 
a few and burdens for many. It would mean a state from which many 
a man to whom the picture of state socialism is now a terrifying specter 
would even begin to turn to socialism itself as the more tolerable system. 

Trusts are largely checked by potential competition, and may be 
checked far more efficiently than they now are. The type of lawmaking 
that promises to secure this end is as yet unknown to the practical 
world. 

The principle on which it rests is an old and fundamental principle 
of common law. 

Monopolies are against public interest, and trusts must not survive 
if that means retaining the monopolistic power. Courts acting under 
common law have done a little in enforcing this principle, and statutes 
may help them. Statutes well enforced may greatly help them. 

What should the statutes be? 

Here I shall encounter objection and dissent. The evil power of a 
trust rests almost on its power to make discriminating prices. It can 
do many things that are evil; but it could do almost none of them if 
it were forced to treat all its customers alike. 

42.') 



424 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

At present, trusts can make ruinously low prices in one small area, 
"where some competitor is operating, while sustaining itself by profits 
made in twenty other areas where it has a full possession of the market. 

If it were under the single necessity of making one price for all 
buyers it would ruin itself by any attempt to compete in the cut-throat 
way as quickly as it could ruin a competitor. 

HENRY WHITE, OF NEW YORK. 
(General Secretary of the United Garment Workers of America.) 

THE UNIONS WILL DEMAND CONSIDERATION. 

On this serious problem, "Where does labor stand?" I have been 
invited to speak from the standpoint of the wage-earners, or rather the 
organized portion of them, for the unorganized have no voice, and, 
like "the man with the hoe," have always been mute. The attitude of 
the trade unions toward the great industrial corporations depends alto- 
gether upon their attitude toward the unions. 

The organized workingmen, while thoy may disagree somewhat on 
the general question, agree on this, that improved means of protection 
is of more consequence to them than improved methods of production. 
To have some say as to the terms of employment is what is wanted. 

Even though the trust may concede higher wages and shorter hours, 
it is the recognition of the right to make terms through the agency of 
the union that concerns them most. 

Employers will often voluntarily grant concessions as the means of 
offsetting the demand for recognition, knowing that such recognition 
would enable the men to deal with the employer more like an equal. 

Will it be the policy of these corporations to recognize the function 
which organized labor fulfills in society and treat with them as such, 
or will they deny to the workers advantages which they themselves 
enjoy? 

Will they insist upon ignoring the necessity of workingmen acting 
in gi'oups in view of the impossibility of the individual making satis- 
factory terms of employment in a great factory where uniform condi- 
tions are determine<l by the management? 

What will the policy be toward united labor when the trusts are 
more fully established? Will the unions not have to meet a more un- 
yielding foe? That is the question which a million organized mechanics 
are asking, and an assuring answer cannot be given by words alone. 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 425 

It might be said that necessity would stimulate and strengthen the 
movement of the workers. No doubt it will, because years of struggle 
and sacrifice made for economic independence have trained and nerved 
the American toiler for a greater trial, and the test must soon come, 
for the organizations on the other side are proceeding at such a pace 
that labor will have to make great strides to catch up. To meet one 
single employer who speaks for the entire trade is quite different than 
coping with one who represents himself alone. 

The trust managers have magnificent opportunities. Will they avail 
themselves of them? Will they show the necessary large-mindedness? 
Judging by our knowledge of human nature, which we know has not 
changed perceptibly for a thousand years under varying conditions, we 
have cause to possess grave doubts as to whether they will. But the 
American people have never failed to successfully meet a great issue 
when once they grapple with it. 

In the lowering clouds of social strife there is welcome light. The 
mere fact of such a gathering gives us hope that the age of reason is 
dawning, and when men reason every thing is possible. 

HON. W\ D. FOULKE, OF INDIANA. 

QUESTION OF TRUSTS PARAMOUNT. 

This question, ladies and gentlemen, dwarfs into insignificance all 
other issues at the present time, not only in our country, but throughout 
the world. When Dreyfus shall have been forgotten, when the war of 
the Philippines shall be regarded as only an incident in history, when 
men shall cease to talk either of the tariff or the currency, the present 
time may well be regarded by future generations as the crucial time 
in our industrial life. 

Those that have been suffering from competition have resolved them- 
selves into combinations for two purposes. First, to save expenses 
which competition involves. That is the first and necessary purpose. 
Secondly, also to control, if possible, the market, and get a larger profit. 

The first proposition is a wise one. Society justifies the curtailment 
of expenses as much as possible; the second, however, the suppression 
of competition, gives them the power of monopoly, a power which may 
be used for the purpose not simply of meeting rivals and competitors, 
but may be used for the displacement of labor, and may be used to the 
injury of the entire purchasing public. 



426 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

That is the first great evil of monopoly. 

The difficulty that has been spoken of by one of the members of this 
conference, who represented the commercial travelers, is a serious one — 
the displacement of the large amount of labor. Yet that is the same 
trouble which has come in with every labor-saving machine. The work 
of the world is sufficient to employ all hands finally. 

These great corporations are now seeking the avenues to political 
power. They are now seeking to enhance their fortunes, in the words 
of Judge David Davis, often by purchasing legislatures and by corrupt- 
ing officials. 

The most efficient way of stopping the evil of the trusts is not to be 
found in the legislation which seeks to annihilate and extinguish them 
altogether. One kind of monopoly may be as dangerous as another. 
The same condition that exists in the sugar industry is the ideal to 
which all other industries seem to be tending, and the result will be to 
reach the practical ideal which has been realized by the sugar trust, 
that is controlling practically the prices of all the output of the country. 

What has been done in the past may be done in the future. What, 
then, will be the result? As the nations of the world have been grow- 
ing fewer and fewer, yet stronger and stronger, until we can say to-day 
that four or five of the greatest of them control all the future destinies 
of the world, so the industries of our country grow greater and greater, 
embracing a larger and larger area, tending to absorb our entire indus- 
trial life. 

All I want to say in conclusion is that there is a method that may 
be found to control the direction of these corporations, but who shall 
invoke that which shall charm the leviathan of the sea and conduct 
him into the still waters of virtue and benevolence? 

Whether we find that or not — whether we will or no — this movement 
will go on, and for the most part all we can do is to stand by and see the 
salvation of the Lord. It will not be the first instance in history nor the 
development of mankind where agencies that threatened ruin and 
destruction were afterward found to be the ministers of blessing and 
prosperity. 

LOUIS F. POST, OF THE NATIONAL SINGLE-TAX LEAGUE, 
GIVES THE SINGLE-TAX VIEW. 

THE TRUSTS REST UPON MONOPOLY. 

The real trusts rest upon monopoly. The trust question is at the 
bottom of the monopoly question. Trusts are buttressed by protection 




GEORGE W. ATKINSON 
Governor of West Virginia 



\\\ A. POYNTER 
Governor of Nebraska 



HAZEN S. PINGREE 
Governor of Michigan 



W. E. STANLEY 
Governor of Kansas 
Statesmen who took part in Trust Conference, September, 1899, at Chicago 



EDWARD SCOFIELD 
Governor of Wisconsin 




OFKICERS OF CONFERENCE ON TRUSTS, Chicago, Sept. l:i to lu 1S99 



DUDLEY G. WOOTEN 

First Vice-chairman 

FRANKLIN H HEAD 
Temporary Chairman 

STEPHEN P CORLISS 
Third Vice-Chairnian 



HENRY V. JOHNSON 

Second Vice-Chairman 

WILLIAM WIRT HOWE 
Permanent Chairman 

RALPH M. EASLEY 

Secretary 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 437 

or have direct special privileges, like railways, or peculiar land ad- 
vantages. 

In the last analysis trusts cannot be perpetuated unless they come 
to own the natural sources of supply and distribution — the land. Like 
AntiBus, they must have their feet upon the ground, and it is only by 
forcing their feet off the ground that we can destroy them. 

Abolish the tariff, abolish all monopolies that can be abolished, take 
public highways for public use and collect from land-owner.s the annual 
value of their special advantages — do that, and you put an end to the 
trust. You cannot do it in any other way. 



M. L. LOCKWOOD. 
(President of the American Anti-Trust League.) 

MANY MEN ARE MONEY MEN. 

To-day we have men with fine-spiin theories telling us that trusts and 
monopolies can lop off here and lop off there and make more money, 
iloney everything! Man nothing! My friends, they have gone money 
mad. 

We are confronted to-day by two great forces — property rights and 
human rights. If the Standard Oil Trust could be secure in the mon- 
opoly it now has it could well afford to pay the Government |30,000,000 
annually for the privilege. 

A gentleman upon this floor tells an American audience that Russia 
had put a protective tax of |2 a barrel on oil to keep American oil from 
driving the Russian oil out of Russian markets, and in the very next 
moment he tells us that if it had not been for the organizing genius of 
the Standard Oil company people that Russian oil would have flooded 
the American markets and dried up the American oil wells and shut 
down American refineries. Now that is spreading it on pretty thick- 
thicker than I have been used to, and I have been used to a great deal. 

The gentleman would have us believe that the Standard Oil com- 
pany has a monopoly of the brain and business capacity of America, 
but I want to tell the gentleman and you that if it had not been for 
i-ailway rebates and discriminations that there would never have been 
a Standard Oil trust monopoly. 

I want to say to the gentleman and to you, that if he will re-establish 
and maintain equal rates over the railways of America, that in spite 

28 



428 OPINIONS OX TRUSTS. 

of this legitimate evolution of business we hear so much about, the 
energy, enterprise, courage and business capacity of the American 
people will drive the Standard Oil company, with its extravagant 
methods, into a secondary position in the oil tx*ade of America in less 
than ten years. 

Oh, but they say that would be waste, that that wouldn't be evolu- 
tion of business; that that would be competition; but I want to say 
to you, my friends, that competition is a good thing for the people and 
a bad thing for monopoly. 



THOMAS J. JIORGAN, CHICAGO SOCIALIST. 

SOCIALISTS SEE THE END OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. 

We see from the socialistic view, not the special interest of this or 
that trade, of this or that nation, of this or that particular race, but we 
see the interest of the whole human race as it is involved in the develop- 
ment of modern industry and modern commerce. 

The socialist sees the end of the feudal system. He sees the domina- 
tion of the landed aristocracy destroyed and the rising importance of 
the new manufacturing and business interests; we see the employer 
and the merchant stepping into the imperial parliaments and taking 
charge of the guide of the nations. 

We see, following the employer, a partnership; following the part- 
nership we find a corporation; and following the corporation in its 
logical order we see the introduction of the trusts. 

We welcome the appearance of the trust as one of the natural and 
inevitable products of our industrial and commercial system. 

The trust is the legitimate child of capital, and if it were not for the 
seriousness of the problem we should be more than amused at the efforts 
that are made to check the growth and to kill this offspring that is made 
by those that produce. 

The fetich of private property in the mines, in the oil, in the forests 
and in the fields, and everywhere else, is the bane of civilization; is the 
illusion of civilization, and must be wiped out of the intellect. We 
socialists rejoice that the trust has come to show you the logical 
sequence of the ownership and control of what is now known as private 
property, and the resources of the earth. 

All you business men and members of the great middle class have 
to make up your minds that the private property of this great country, 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 429 

and others like it, will be organized into trusts until there will be one 
trust and you will not be in it. 

You can send bands of music to your legislatures; you can pass reso- 
lutions; you can hold your demonstrations everywhere, but the concen- 
tration of private property, the right of man to own all he can get, and 
hold all he gets, will go on with irresistible force so long as the prin- 
ciple of private property in the things by which we live is maintained 
by you men. 

EDWARD KEASLEY, OF NEW JERSEY. 

DANGER EXAGGERATED. 

The danger to be met is that the trusts shall become too powerful, 
control too much and prevent all competition. I don't think that can 
be prevented by law. I think that we exaggerate the danger of the 
ability of want of competition to put up prices. I have waited all 
through this discussion to hear any proof of this fact, and we must 
remember that the burden of proof of this discussion is on those who 
assert that these trusts must be legislated against. 

There is a remedy which we ought to try at once, and that is in the 
first place to make the trusts disclose to the public what the capital 
stock of the company is made up of, and not to allow the fraudulent 
inflation of stock. 

Let their capital stock represent not exactly their property in the 
business but what they can earn a dividend on. It is not necessary it 
should be actual property. Let every company be compelled to file in 
its own office the actual contract for which its capital stock is issued 
and let every stockholder and every member of the i>ublic, if you please, 
have a copy of this on payment of ten cents. 

That is the plan that is followed in England, where great combin- 
ations of capital have been effected, and they have not had the outcry 
there against trusts that we are having here. 

PROF. EDWARD W. BEMIS, OF NEW YORK. 

TRUSTS ACCEPT SOCIALIST VIEW. 

One of the greatest criticisms of the competitive system is the waste 
involved, for example, in the journey through the same street of a dozen 
different mill carts or ice wagons, stopping at as many different houses. 



430 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

The manaj^er of the trust, adoptinsj iinoonscioiisly this socialist view 
of the matter, fauiilianzes us with the arguments as to the advantages 
of combination. We ai*e then face to face with our problem, given on 
the one hand a new form of organization, which has in it vast possi- 
bilities of social economy and advantage, but on the other hand is now 
being selfishly used to work great social harm. What shall he do 
about it? 

We may leave the entire matter alone, in the belief that many of 
these trusts will soon go to pieces. 

We may favor the solution which is attracting some attention in 
England, where, if I understand the matter aright, the trust of capital 
allies itself with a strong labor combination, and the two together agree 
to rob the consumer of all they can, the monopoly profits to be divided 
in the proportion of two parts to capital to one for labor. 

We may smash the trust, or endeavor to do so. 

In some respects the trade union resembles the trust, since it seeks 
to secure a monopoly of the labor market, and in order to secure it 
adopts many trust methods, such as refusal to deal with rivals who will 
not surrender to it. 

A more hopeful attack upon the abuses of the trusts consists of the 
removal of tariffs upon such products as congress shall decide to be of 
trust maJie. 

The notorious and widespread granting of secret rebates and other 
privileges by I'ailroads to large shippers, and particularly to trusts and 
combinations, must be checked in the most summary and speedy 
manner. 

The conference has been several times invited to consider direct pub- 
lic regulation of the trust. This will require, in a large measure, pre- 
liminary constitutional changes, so as to give more opportunity than 
we now have for national regulation of industries that, through their 
wide area of operations, are superior to state control. 



EDWARD KOSEWATER. 

THE TRUST A NATURAL OUTGROWTH. 

We are confronted by grave problems generated by the industrial 
revolution of the nineteenth century. The trust is but the outgrowth 
of natural conditions. The trend of modern civilization is toward 
centralization and concentration. 




WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN 
CHARLES FOSTER 

Noted Politicians- 



W. DOURKE COCKRAN 
HENRY W. BLAIR 

-Anti-Trust 




SAMUEL GOMPERS T. B. WALKER 

EDWARD Q. KEASBEY M. M. GARLAND 

U. M. ROSE \. LEO WEIL 

MEN OF AFFAIRS ON" TRUSTS 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 431 

This tendency is strikingly exhibited in the congestion of popula- 
tion in large cities, the building of mammoth hotels, tenement blocks, 
sky scraper office buildings, the department store and colossal manu- 
facturing plants. The monopolistic combination of corporate capital 
known as trusts have their origin in overproduction and ruinous com- 
petition. 

Honestly capitalized and managed, with due regard for the well- 
being of their employes, and operated economically for the benefit of 
consumers of their product, these concerns are harmless. Within the 
past decade the trusts have, however, for the most part, degenerated 
into combinations for stock jobbing. 

Nearly every trust recently organized had its incentive in the in-e- 
sistible temptation held out by the professional promoter to capitalize 
competing plants at from five to ten times their actual value. 

This fictitious capitalization constitutes the most dangerous ele- 
ment of the modern trust. In nearly every instance overcapitalization 
becomes the basis for raising the price of trust products, and invariably 
lays the foundation for bank failures, panics and the ills that follow in 
their train. 

The imperative duty of this conference is to devise measures that 
will make the trusts harmless. With this end in view, it should 
recommend : 

1. The creation by act of congress of a bureau of supervision and 
control of corporations engaged in interstate commerce with powei-s 
for its relief similar to those exercised by the comptroller of the cur- 
rency over national banks. 

2. Legislation to enforce such publicity as will effectually prevent 
dishonest methods of accounting and restrict traffic and competition 
within legitimate channels. 

3. The abrogation of all patents and copyrights held by trusts 
whenever the fact is established before a judicial tribunal that any 
branch of industry has been monopolized by the holders of such patents 
or copyrights. 

4. The enactment by congress of a law that will compel evei-y cor- 
poration engaged in interstate commerce to operate under a national 
charter that shall be abrogated whenever such corporation violates its 
provisions. 

5. The creation of an interstate commerce court, with exclusive 
jurisdiction in all cases arising out of the violation of interstate com- 
merce laws. 



432 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

6. In order that the constitutional limitations and decisions of 
the Supreme Court of the United States relative to the jiower of con- 
gress to regulate and control trusts may be overcome, the conference 
should recommend the revision of the Constitution of the United States 
by a constitutional convention to be called by two-thirds of the states 
at the earliest possible date, as provided for by article 5 of the federal 
Constitution. 

While the trusts might be reached by a single amendment to the 
Constitution, I doubt very much whether anything could be gained by 
such patchwork, since the Constitution contains many other provisions 
that would constitute a bar in effecting enforcement of the interstate 
commerce law. The mode of procedure for securing a single amend- 
ment is, if anything, more cumbersome, and ratification thereof more 
difficult to push than would be a complete revision of the organic law 
of the land. 

If you will examine the Constitution you will see that it lies within 
the power of the States to call a national constitutional convention 
whenever two-thirds have concurred in such call, whereas the ordinary 
amendment requires the concurrence of two-thirds of each of the houses 
of congress, which is very difficult to procure in view of the tremendous 
influence exercised over the senate by the confederated corporations. 



SAMUEL GOMPEKS, OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF 

LABOR. 

COMBINATIONS OF CAPITAL WILL, GROW. 

Perhaps the greatest sufferers from the wrongs which the combina- 
tions have done society have been the wage-earners, but in spite of this 
fact we do not close our eyes to actual facts and conditions or join in 
the general howl simply for the purpose of howling. 

The cry is now by a large number of our people for uutrammeled 
competition, and the old cry which was turned against the organized 
efforts of the workers for improved conditions is turning against the 
combinations of capital. 

They grow and will grow, and I have no hesitation in saying that 
the organization of industry upon a higher and more scientific basis 
will continue. 

If ])nces have been raised the combinations of capital have always 
been held responsible. If prices have fallen when combinations of 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 433 

capital exist it is arguetl that they would have fallen still lower if the 
individual concern had existed. 

Be this as it may, this proposition cannot be disputed, that prices 
continually tend downward. On the other hand, the tendency of 
vrages, in spite of all declarations of the pessimists and the enemies of 
organized labor, is upward, due solely to the organized effort of the 
wage-earner. 

It has been said that organized labor is a trust, and I want to say 
in connection with this that to our minds that is an absolute misnomer. 

Organized labor throws open its doors to all who work for wages, 
and asks them to come in and share in the benefits. We try to prevent 
by all means within our power anyone from leaving or getting outside 
of the union. 

You cannot break into a trust. 

And for this reason I want to say that any legislation proposed by 
this conference or by any legislature or by congress which does not 
eliminate or specially exempt organized labor from the operations of 
the law will meet the unquestioned opposition of all the labor forces of 
our country. 

I believe we can tax the corporations; we can tax franchises; we 
can advocate and have municipal and common ownership of public 
utilities. 

In the midst of greater concentrations of wealth and the vast devel- 
opment of industry, it behooves the workers more ceaselessly than 
ever to devote their energies to organized labor and to counteract the 
effect which otherwise their helpless and unprotected condition would 
have put upon them. Organized and alert, the workers cannot fail 
to lighten toil, shorten hours and lengthen life by constant and per- 
sistent effort, and make the world better for our having lived in it. 



M. M. GARLAND, 

(Ex-President of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin 

Workers.) 

THE TRUST QUESTION AN OLD ONE. 

The whole life of the man employed in the iron and steel rolling- 
mills must, from the very nature of his labor, be practical. 

The trust question is an old one. It has been the instigator of much 



434 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

attempted legislation and has formed the target for campaign speakers 
in almost every kind of elections. 

When the iron and steel worker became convinced that the vast 
industrial pursuits of the world were becoming centralized under the 
control of a comparatively small portion of mankind he realized that 
to secure for himself an equivalent for his labor sufficient to maintain 
him in comparative independence and respectability it was absolutely 
compulsory that he form a combination with his fellow workers to con- 
trol, as far as possible, wages and fair treatment. 

This organization was immediately termed a trust by many, but the 
fair mind cannot consider the open trade union as such under the gen- 
eral acceptance of the term. 

But in deference to a number of decisions by eminent judges in the 
several States and the decision of an Attorney-General of the United 
States, all of which declare us at least amenable to whatever penalties 
would occur to trusts violating the statute of present enacted anti- 
trust legislation, to that extent we are compelled to accept the onus. 

But it is the recent rush of corporations doing business in the same 
line of manufacture or interest into one or more immense corporate 
combinations, usually termed trusts, that has challenged widespread 
comment and occasioned the discussion of the question by this con- 
ference. No corporation desires to lose its identity, and there can be 
no doubt that much of this in the iron and steel industry has been 
caused by the same element that forced the workmen to organize — 
that of self-preservation. 

The corporation of many years' standing had grown with the in- 
creased uses of iron and steel until, in some branches of the trade, sev- 
eral firms were more powerful and beld more assets, each one in them- 
selves, than any of the trusts that have yet been formed in the same 
line of business. 

We have passed the point where corporations in iron and steel were 
of great moment whose capitalization was limited to thousands or hun- 
dreds of thousands of dollars, and we have entered the era of millions 
and hundreds of millions of dollars' capitalization. 

That this new form of trust will bring, voluntarily, any new virtues 
to the business world is a doubtful question. They are organized to 
make money, and will certainly attempt to operate to that end, but 
they have awaJiened powerful watchers in the interests of the great 
mass of common people, and in this country the privileges and interests 
of the majority of the people cannot long be trampled on. 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 435 

The action of the trusts within themselves will soon decide whether 
they are to be tolerated as useful members to the nation's household 
or whether the show of hands raised against them will relegate them to 
oblivion. 

GOVERNOR H. S. PINGREE, OF MICHIGAN. 

THE EFFECT OF TRUSTS UPON OUR NATIONAL LIFE AND CITIZENSHIP. 

The trust is the forerunner, or rather the creator of industrial 
slavery. 

In all that has been said about trusts scarcely a word has been 
written or spoken from the standpoint of their effect on society. In 
gathering material for the use of this conference the Civic Federation 
sent out circulars containing, in all, sixty-nine questions. Those in- 
quiries were addressed to trusts, wholesale dealers, commercial travel- 
ers' organizations, railroads, labor associations, contractors, manufac- 
turers, economists, financiers, and public men. 

Only one of these sixty-nine questions related in any way to the effect 
of "trusts" upon society. I think that this is the most important con- 
sideration of all. 

Everybody has been asking whether more money can be made by 
trusts than by small corporations and individuals — whether cost of 
production will be increased or decreased; whether investors will be 
benefited or injured; whether the financial system of the country will 
be endangered; whether we can better compete for the world's trade 
with large combinations or trusts.; whether prices will be raised or 
lowered; whether men will be thrown out of employment; whether 
wages will be higher or lower; whether stricter economy can be en- 
forced, and so on. 

In other words, the only idea nowadays seems to be to find out how 
business or commerce will be affected by trusts. The almighty dollar 
is the sole consideration. 

I believe that all these things are minor considerations. I think 
it is of far greater importance to inquire whether the control of the 
world's trade, or any of the other commercial advantages claimed for 
the trusts, are worth the price we pay for them. 

Will it pay us, either as individuals or as a nation, to encourage 
trusts? 

Instead of discussing the question from the standpoint of commer- 
cial gain, let us view it as patriots. I believe that a conference of this 



436 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

kind should not attempt to judge a question so important to our na- 
tional welfare as this by the selfish standard of commercial greed. I 
think that loftier motives should rule us in this discussion. 

In this republic of ours we are fond of saying that there are no 
classes. In fact, we boast of it. We say that classes belong to mon- 
archies, not to republics. 

Nevertheless none of us can dispute the fact that our society is 
divided into classes, and well-defined ones, too. They are not distin- 
guished by differences of social standing. That is, we have no aristo- 
cratic titles, no nobility. The distinction with us is based upon wealth. 

The man is rated by the property he owns. Our social and political 
leaders and speakers deny this. In doing so, however, they ignore actual 
conditions. They discuss what ought to be under our form of govern- 
ment — not what is. 

The strength of our republic has always been in what is called our 
middle class. This is made up of manufacturers, jobbers, middlemen, 
retail and wholesale merchants, commercial travelers and business men 
generally. It would be little short of calamity to encourage any indus- 
trial development that would affect unfavorably this important class 
of our citizens. 

Close to them, as a strong element of our people, are the skilled 
mechanics and artisans. They are the sinew and strength of the nation. 

While the business of the country has been conducted by persons 
and firms, the skilled employe has held close and sympathetic relations 
with his employer. He has beea something more than a. mere machine. 
He has felt the stimulus and amibition which goes with equality of 
opportunity. These have contributetl to make him a good citizen. 
Take away that stimulus and ambition and we lower the standard of 
our citizenship. Without good citizenship our national life is in danger. 
It seems to me, therefore, that the vital consideration connected with 
this problem of the trust is its effect upon our middle class — the inde- 
pendent individual business, man and the skilled artisan and mechanic. 
How does the trust affect them? It is admitted by the apologist for the 
trust that it makes it impossible for the individual or firm to do busi- 
ness on a small scale. It tends to concentrate the ownership and man- 
agement of all lines of business activity into the hands of a very few. 
No one denies this. 

A very select few may become heads of trusts, but such opportuni- 
ties will be rare indeed. They will, therefore, be entirely useless as 
incentives to the ambition of the army of those employed by the trusts. 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 437 

As a result of the ceaseless and heartless grind of the trusts in the 
almost insane desire to control trade, ambition and perhaps inventive 
genius will be deadened and killed. 

The trust is therefore the forerunner, or rather the creator, of indus- 
trial slavery. The master is the trust manager or director. It is his 
duty to serve the soulless and nameless being called the stockholder. 
To the latter the dividend is more important than the happiness or the 
prosperity of any one. 

The slave is the former merchant and business man and the artisan 
and mechanic, who once cherished the hope that they might some time 
reach the happy position of independent ownership of a business. 

Commercial feudalism is the logical outcome of the trust. The trust 
manager is the feudal baron. 

These may perhaps be harsh characterizations, but who can deny 
their truth? Honesty to ourselves and loyalty to our country and its 
free institutions compel us to face and recognize the situation. 

We cannot be true to our republic by ignoring these things. We 
cannot be honest to the people, either at this conference or in our legis- 
lative assemblies, by confining our deliberations to the commercial 
advantages and disadvantages of the trust. 

It is better to be forever poor, but independent and happy as indi- 
viduals, than to lay the foundations for industrial tyranny and slavery. 
Personal liberty is rather to be chosen than great riches. Equality of 
opportunity to all men is better than the control of the world's trade. 

The effect of the trust upon our national life and our citizenship will 
not be sudden, perhaps. It will rather be a silent and gradual change. 
It may not be observed at once, but its influence will nevertheless be 
felt. 

The warning with which the history of the decadence and downfall 
of other nations furnishes us may not be heeded now. If not, we may 
pay the usual penalty of slavery to commercial avarice and greed. 

Increase of the wealth of the country is greatly to be desired, but 
if the people are to be degraded to industrial slavery, wealth under 
such conditions is a curse. If our independent and intelligent business 
men and artisans are to be crowded out of existence as a class by the 
trust, there is no remedy too drastic for the trust. 

Some may think it too early to sound a note of warmng of this kind, 
but the time to check an evil tendency is when it first shows itself. 

We have given the private corporation "too much rope." Some say 
give it more rope and it will hang itself. In other words, they claim 



438 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

that the trust problem, if left alone, will work out its own solution. 

I do not believe in such a policy. There is too much at stake. The 
most importajit element of our citizenship is in the balance. TVe cannot 
afford to sap the strength of our democracy in order to forward an 
experiment. 

I favor complete and prompt annihilation of the trust — with due 
regard for property rights, of course. 

I care more for the independence and manliness of the American 
citizen than for all the gold or silver in the world. It is better to cher- 
ish the happiness of the American home than to control the commerce 
of the globe. 

The degrading process of the trust means much to the future of a 
republic founded upon democratic principles'. A democratic republic 
cannot survive the disappearance of a democratic population. 

HON. CHARLES W. FOSTER. 

TRUSTS HAVE COME TO STAY. 

Governor Pingree was followed by Hon. Charles W. Foster, of Ohio, 
who said in part: 

The gentleman from Texas yesterday stated that his State had no 
industrial development, that it sold raw material and bought its sup- 
plies, as the reason for its fierce opposition to trusts. He also por- 
trayed, as did the gentleman from Michigan before me, the superiority 
of manhood over money. 

It strikes me that if the Texas people had sufficient enterprise to 
establish industries, to consume their cotton, wool and other raw mate- 
rial, their manhood would not deteriorate, their opposition to trusts 
would be less vehement, and they would have more money. 

The evolution in business from the individual to the partnership, 
and from the partnership to the corporation, was no more natural and 
necessary than is the evolution from the corporation to the trust. Let 
us look the situation squarely in the face. Denounce it as we may, it 
has come to stay. Why? Because the gigantic business operations 
of the present and future cannot be carried on without it. 

P. E. DOWE, PRESIDENT OF THE COMMERCIAL TRAVELERS' 

NATIONAL LEAGUE. 

COMMERCIAL TRAVELERS OPPOSED TO TRUSTS. 

Commercial travelers are opposed to trusts, both from policy and 
from principle, and consider them detrimental and demoralizing — detri- 



440 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

mental as menacing the possession and enjoyment by the people of those 
rights to life, libeity and the pursuit of happiness and equal privileges 
and possibilities in the application of individual enterprises and experi- 
ence; demoralizing as presenting un-American conditions, imitation of 
English business methods, as offering evidences of rascality and cor- 
ruption. 

At my suggestion the American Anti-Trust League has begun a 
work of statistical investigation. It proposes to show by authentic data 
that while the cost of living has increased within the last two years at 
an average of between 12 and 16 per cent, wages have been advanced 
less than 3 per cent; and that wages to-day are lower than in 1S05. 

I have a list showing advances in the prices due to the direct or 
indirect influence of trusts of about 150 commodities, the- advances rang- 
ing from 5 to 500 per cent. The list was obtained by representatives of 
the Anti-Trust league applying to manufacturers and dealers for infor- 
mation and making daily reports. Nearly 500 establishments were 
visited. The list is sworn to. Ordiuaj*y shovels doubled in wholesale 
price and snow shovels advanced 145 per cent, iron 85 to 130 per cent, 
coal 50 cents a ton wholesale, gasoline -1 cents a gallon, shoes for the 
workingmcn 15 to 50 cents per pair, etc. 

Over 90 percent of 100 hotels interviewed claim a falling off of trav- 
eling men by 10 to 50 per cent during the last year, which in most 
instances they attribute to the effetts of trusts and combinations. 

The amount* of the common and preferred stocks of all the listed 
trasts, and inclusive of their bonded indebtedness, is the vast total of 
^8.000,000,000 in round figures. This statement is made upon most 
reliable authorities. 

A well-known statistician stated that the intrinsic valuation in the 
aggregate of all the trusts is about $2,000,000,000, a four to one ratio 
for stock-jobbing manipulation. 

Previous to 1S95 nearly 000 trusts were projected, and to include a 
great variety of commodities; several of these trade combinations failed 
to materialize, some disintegrated; but the processes for the centraliza- 
tion of capital and power continuetl, combination and recombination 
going on until in March last there were between 350 and 3()0 combines, 
yet their capitalization was billions more than the capitalization of the 
600 trusts of lS9i and before. To-day my list shows 425 trusts. 

"What if the trusts win? The whole machinery of independence as 
we have known it heretofore in this country is entirely gone, and man, 
whatever his prospects might have been, is absolutely at the mercy of 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 441 

the trust. It must feed him, clothe him, shelter him and educate him 
as will serve its interests.'' The foregoing is quoted from the letter of 
an attorney-general. 

The remedy for the plague of trusts, now epidemic, I have not dis- 
cussed,, excepting as suggested by Senator Chandler, the puiijose of my 
paper being to demonstrate that trusts are considered as an abominable 
curse by the people. I spealv for the commercial travelers especially, 
but for the people generally in opposition to trade combines, for the 
commercial men have felt the pulse of the people as could no other 
class. 

I have gone on record as opposed to trade combines, otherwise trusts, 
for specific reasons; have also been interested in other matters pertain- 
ing to the privileges of the people generally and commercial travelers 
particularly, and a participant in contests to protect the rights of the 
people from infringement by unjust laws, 

F. B. THURBEE, REPRESENTING THE NEW YORK BOARD OF 

TRADE. 

CORPORATIONS ARE CO-OPERATIONS. 

It is overlooked that corporation^ are really co-operations; that the 
number of partners as stockholders in any industry is increased; that 
any one can become a partner, and that instead of being concentrators 
of wealth, they are distributers of wealth. It has been assumed that 
labor would be oppressed by the organization of capital, but experience 
has shown that organized labor has met organized capital, and that the 
largest organizations of capital have furnished the steadiest employ- 
ment and have paid larger wages than individual employers. 

The grievances of individuals injured in this evolution of industries 
have been magnified and the general good minimized. The lesson of 
the stage driver thrown out of work by the locomotive or the workman 
by the machine, is forgotten when the traveling salesman who loses his 
job through the economies of industrial organization appeals to public 
sympathy. 

That wider markets are necessary and that large capital intelligently 
administered is necessary to find them, is not appreciated. That "rule 
of reason," as expressed by the minority of the Supreme Court, is. in 
danger of being expunged from our statutes. 

Within the limits of a paper like this it is of course impossible to 
do more than speak suggestively and touch upon but few of the many 



442 OPLMOXS OX TRUSTS. 

points involved, but I have faith that with further study of this subject 
by the American people the facts will become plainer and they will 
ai)preciate that 

''Through the ages one increasing purpose runs, 
And the thoughts of men are widened by the process of t&e suns." 



GOVERNOR G. W. ATKINSON OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

WHAT ARE THE ADVOCATES OF TRUSTS GOING TO DO? 

If the advocates and participants in the trusts could satisfy the 
minds of the masses upon the three following propositions they would 
have but little opposition in the years to come: 

Will you, and can you, in all cases, as you claim, agree to furnish a 
better and cheaper article to consumers of all the necessaries of life 
covered by your trusts and combines? 

W^hat do you propose to do with the tens of thousands of middlemen 
now employed, who of necessity must lose their present positions? 

What will become of the small dealers scattered over our country 
from Maine to Florida, and from the Atlantic to California? 

What are we going to do with this large class of our fellow-citizens 
who are now prosperous and happy in their occupations? These are 
momentous problems and involve momentous results.'' 

HON. C. E. SNODGRASS, MEMBER OF CONGRESS OF 

TENNESSEE. 

THE TRUST DESTROYS AMBITION. 

While I am not an enemy of capital and realize the beneficent 
influence it has exerted, I believe that any combination which takes 
away the incentive for men to exert their best energies and destroys 
ambition is evil. This the trust does. I think that Colonel Bryan's sug- 
gestion that all corporations doing interstate business should be licensed 
by the Federal Government is right and feasible. I am not prepare<i to 
say whether the trusts can be made a political issue, but the Republican 
])arty will have a hard time to "square" itself with the people on the 
trust question. 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 443 

E. ROSEWATER, EDITOR OF THE OMAHA BEE. 

It is my idea tliat a commission or bureau should be created which 
shall have control of all corporations doing interstate business. In 
addition to this there should be a court clothed with the authority to 
try all cases and adjudicate all matters arising from infractions of trust 
laws and which shall hear no other causes. 

To protect the purchasers of trust securities there should be public 
certification of stocks. 

JUDGE WILLIAM H. CLAGETT OF BOISE CITY, IDAHO. 

MONOPOLY THE FOUNDATION OF TRUSTS. 

Monopoly is the foundation of trusts. There are no such things as 
real trusts now. tender the broad decision of the Supreme Court of the 
Unitetl States in the sugar-trust case they are no longer trusts, but 
rather commercial combinations. The decision was based on the sov- 
ereignty of the States, and was in effect that whatever legislation was 
needed should be enacted by the States. 

I am sure the decision could not have been better for the masses, as 
it throws the case back to the people, who can take action for them- 
selves. It is now a matter of State rights, and I believe each individual 
State can do more by itself than through the Federal Government, 
though national legislation should also be enacted. 

The two sovereignties — that of the State and that of the nation — 
should work in harmony and make the trust a thing of the past. 

HON. DUDLEY WOOTEN OF TEXAS. 

SOME THINGS GREATER THAN ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH. 

We come from a State whose area, resources and population, we 
think, entitle us to entertain some very positive and pertinent convic- 
tions upon the great question that called together this meeting, and will 
provoke the learned discussions of the distinguished gentlemen here 
present. 

We believe that there are some things more valuaole, more to be 
desired and more worthy to be contended for by a free people than the 
mere accumulation of worldly wealth, industrial activity and commer- 
cial progress. 

29 



444 OPIMOA'S OX TRUSTS. 

We do not believe in that school of political philosophy that despises 
the wisdom and experience of the fathers of American and English lib- 
erty and law, that rejects as antiquated and inadequate the <;reat i)rc- 
cepts and principles of a venerable jurisprudence at the behest uf mod- 
ern monopoly, that salves the wounds of freedom with the oil of avarice, 
and condones a constitutional crime Avith the argument of pelf and 
greed. 

If, as we believe and think, the facts demonstrate, the inordinate 
growth and power of corpoi'ations are the real germs of the alarming 
trusts and monopolies of the age, then clearly that should be the point 
of first attack. Under our institutions these artificial persons or citi- 
zens are created by the States ajid not by the Federal Government. 

But the burden of this great work cannot and ought not to be thrown 
entirely upon the States. ^Notwithstanding the high authority of the 
attorney-general of the United States and his presumable familiarity 
with trusts in their natural habitat, we believe that the Federal Gov- 
ernment both can and should assume the initiative in the movement to 
suppress and restrain these great corporate monopolies. 

By these two means — State and Federal legislation combining to 
reduce the number, power and privileges of private corporations — the 
rapid growth and menacing tyranny of the corporate monopolies can 
be controlled and restrained, but in no other way that we can perceive. 

The methods suggested may appear radical and revolutionary to 
gome, but the time has come when the country must face the cri.sis and 
solve it conscientiously, courageously and completely, unless we are to 
surrender those principles for which the Union was formed and without 
which it is not worth preserving. 

Developing under the frown of judicial disfavor, the original trusts 
have passed from the loose and imperfect combinations of affiliated 
corporations into the crystallized and condensed union of huge capital- 
ized monopolies under one charter and a centralized control. 

Their fundamental purposes are to reduce the cost of production to 
the manufacturers by lowering expenses, minimizing the cost of labor, 
depressing the prices of raw materials, and concentrating the expendi- 
ture of energy into the smallest possible compass; to destroy competi- 
tion by absorbing all rival industries, squeezing out the small, coercing 
the weak and amalgamating the strong; to monopolize and control 
trade and industry by absolutely dominating the markets and subsidiz- 
inir or terrorizing the free and normal course of commerce and labor. 

The courts of the countiy have unifonuly and correctly declared 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 445 

that but for the existence and operation of private corporations, trusts 
and monopolies could not exist for an hour. The loose and risky meth- 
ods of personal entei-prise, the legal limitations and liabilities of individ- 
ual investment, and the motives of selfish caution that control the 
actions of men or firms engaged in business on their own responsibility 
render it impossible for great industrial and commercial monopolies to 
be built up in that way. 

It is only by the corporation, with its peculiar and artificial attri- 
butes, that trusts and trade combinations can be successfully carried 
out. Here, then, we have the I'oot of the evil, in the private coi-poration. 

If there be need for uniform statutes on maiTiage and divorce, wills, 
insolvency and other similar interests in which the entire country has a 
common and identical share, then certainly there is need for it on this 
most vital question that affects the prosperity, happiness and freedom 
of the republic at large. 

It was this consideration that induced the governor of Texas to call 
the meeting of governors and attorneys-general which will convene in 
St. Louis next week, and it is to be hoped that some hannonious and 
united plan of legislation will be agreed upon by them. 

If we are asked along what lines this universal and uniform legisla- 
tion shall be framed, then we unhesitatingly answer that it should bo in 
the direction of limiting also the amount of capital stock for which a 
company may be incorporated, so as to curtail their enormous power 
to amass undue wealth and exercise despotic control over the commerce, 
industry and policies of the nation. 

PROFESSOR JOHN GRAHAME BROOKS OF HARVARD 

UNIVERSITY. 

It is our misfortune that no opinion upon the so-called trust has at 
present much value. The movement is too new, it is too vast, it is 
above all too undeveloped. People are frightened by the new phenom- 
enon — so many were alarmed a century ago by a quickened tendency 
of business to pass into corporations. 

I assume that no answer is possible to my subject, "Are the New 
Combinations Dangerous?" unless that measure of control is secured 
Avhich is represented by (a) complete publicity', (b) removal of tariff 
privileges, (c) the ending of special railway favors. I should defend this 
opinion not upon theoretical grounds, but upon such practical experi- 
ence as one may observe already on the effect of the new combinations. 



446 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

Given an absolute publicity of facts, and the one dominating danger, 
overcapitalization, is already half met. If the trust movement spreads, 
as now seems likely, by far the larger part will go to the wall from sheer 
speculative bravado. 

The people meanwhile will be rapidly educated, and above all the 
banks will be swift to learn the lesson, and refuse to underwrite if the 
venture is too imprudent in its risks. Only those trusts will survive that 
are prudently organized and deal with a product which lends itself to 
the conditions imposed by the new combination. 

No industrial event ever gave a more magnificent occasion for educa- 
tion upon what is deepest in the so-called social question. The essence 
of the new combination is that it is a more cunning and more powerful 
machine applied to industry. That means that it carries in it the very 
heart of the social question. 

The pithiest formula I could give of the social question (on its mate- 
rial side) is this: It is the struggle for the advantages of applied 
science and invention to industrj'. At bottom, this is the fight in our 
great strikes. 

The coming contest in our municipalities is accurately this: Who 
is to control the vast machinei-y, such as lighting and transportation? 
This has come to be the deepest struggle in trades unionism. Socialism 
itself cajinot be better defined than by its attitude toward machinery. 
The new combinations that survive are not likely to act differently 
in this respect from the weaker cori)orations which precedetl them. 
Again, it is said they will corner things generally, put up prices and pre- 
vent the consumer from getting the advantage of the economics made, 
as we are told is the case with nails, glass, tinplate, etc. I will not 
deny the danger, but I beg to submit one observation from industrial 
histoi"y: 

Whenever a great change has come in economic evolution there is 
naturally extreme danger connected with the new undertaking, because 
traditional methods cannot be depended upon. 

The dangers of disaster are extreme, and only men of great boldnqis, 
willing to take larger risks, come to the front. It is this type of man 
tliat has caught the wave as it rose, and made, if he succeeded, enor- 
mous profits. TTuman wit has never yet prevented this, and it is more 
than doubtful if ir would be well to do it if we could. 

Once more, it is said of the trusts, they will raise havoc with our 
politics. That this is a far graver peril than any economic one is too 



448 OPIXIOiXS OX TRUSTS. 

vlear. Recognizing the magnitude of this danger, and with no desire to 
minimize it. 

I express this hope — the trust that stays will bring the very 
ablest men to the front. They will very soon have to carry on business 
in an atmosphere of public opinion thoroughly alert and aroused upon 
those issues. It appears to me unlikely that men of first ability will 
so fail in tact as to disregard and affront an alarmed, suspicious and 
powerful public opinion. 

Nor have I the slightest question that if it become plain to the people 
that the combinations manipulate politics to their own private ends 
and persist in this they will have themselves to thank for driving the 
country further and faster into socialism than any and all forces that 
have ever shown themselves in our public life. 



DR. HENRY C. ADAMS, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. 

TRUSTS AND BUSIl^IESS ORGANIZATIONS. 

Whatever the trust problem may be, it has to do.with business organ- 
ization, and on this account the first question that suggests itself is 
one that pertains to the science of economics, and from that we are car- 
ried to the stupendous question of political organization and legislative 
procedure. 

He who believes in local government will not readily consent to the 
proposition that the Federal Congress should assert exclusive authority 
over commercial and industrial conditions. Nor, on the other hand, will 
he who appreciates the significance and the beneficent results of a 
world's market consent to the suggestion that the business transactions 
of a State concern should not extend beyond the bordei*s of a State. 

Turning to a consideration of the current tendency toward monopoly 
in industries which naturally are subject to competitive control, it has 
been stated that the explanation of this tendency is found in the condi- 
tions under which manufacturing and commercial enterprises are 
carried on. 

These conditions are the fact that railways do discriminate in favor 
of large sliippers; the extension of commercial relations beyond the 
jurisdiction of the States has resulted in confusion of law and uncer- 
tainty of procedure; the unsatisfactory condition of the laws of incor- 
poration is one of the elements in the conditions by which tinists are 
fostered, and, finally, the fact that whatever else may be determined 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. U9 

upon, provision should be made by the States for an efficient, compre- 
hensive and harmonious control over the auditing departments of such 
industries as choose the trust organization for the prosecution of 
business. 



ATTOENEY-GENERAL E. C. CROWE, OF MISSOURI. 

TRUSTS A SOURCE OF GREAT APPREHENSION. 

It has been well said, "The recent rapid formation of trusts, the rush 
of industrial monopoly, is the source of great public apprehension. It 
seems to be working a stupendous revolution, the end of which is not 
clearly foreseen. 

"The gathering storm may prove a destroying cyclone or but a pre- 
cursor of a better Industrial day. Be this as it may, it is now possible 
and wise to inquire into the legal status of the monopoly coi'poration 
and to take stock of the I'esources with which organized society is 
equipped to meet this modern form of feudalism.'' 

The clear distinction between public and private employments and 
business and the full appreciation of the complete protection of the right 
to contract and of the vested rights of property is absolutely essential 
to be kept in mind to have a fair view of the trust question and its 
effect on our people and business, and the remedies that may be pro- 
posed for any evils that may result fi'om trusts. 

If we must have the trading business corporation I suggest that laws 
be enacted by the sovereign States declaring the members of the corpora- 
tion responsible to the same extent as the members of a copartnership 
for the debts or acts and liabilities of a corporation. 

Protection, equality and justice will reign in business transactions 
under the regime where equality of liability follows equality of oppor- 
tunity, and this equality, guided by the ever-present power of competi- 
tion, will regulate in a healthy manner the business interests of the 
country. 

Therefore I think that the check of financial responsibility, individ- 
ually, should be placed upon the shareholders of private business trad- 
ing corporations. 

The trust is a profitable field in capital and hence capital will seek 
trusts; but the trust is becoming a dictator of trade. Its powers are 
not limited by charter or public opinion. It enters all branches of indus- 
try; it reduces the price of the raw material it buys, and raises the price 



450 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

of the product it sells; its movements are secret, silent, unerring and 
all-powerful. 

But the vast profits of the trust will ever tempt wealth and enter- 
prise. The aim of capital to seek profit will be ever a menace to the 
security of the trust investor. The struggle to obtain the special benefits 
for the few by the trust managers and the battle of equal opportunity 
for all in business is the point of interest, and the State should bend 
its energies to adjust this at once, for herein lies the danger to our land. 

OPINIONS OF THE VALUE OF THE CONFERENCE ON TRUSTS. 
REV. J. H. O. SMITH, UNION CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 

CONFERENCE A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO CmLIZATION. 

The Civic Federation has made a valuable contribution to civiliza- 
tion in arranging the assembly which has been discussing the trust 
problem. 

The best of spirit prevailed and the sentiment of the convention 
was altruistic throughout. At no time could the worker complain of 
unfair treatment, while the attacks made upon great combinations of 
capital were directed against the institutions for which the people 
themselves are in a large measure responsible, and not against the men 
who compose the corporations. 

Man was the consideration more than money, but all seemed to rec- 
ognize that wealth is an important ally when properly distributed. 

The American Government itself is a combine for rich and poor. 
The rich must not be robbed to benefit the poor, and the poor should 
not be compelled directly or indirectly to bear the burdens of the rich. 

The speakers regarded capitalist and laborer as partners in industry 
and each entitled to his share of the profits. The closing days of the 
nineteenth century are electric with forces that make for righteousness. 

Labor's complaint that it cannot get a hearing has been answered 
this week, and the representatives of labor will go home happy because 
of the serious consideration given their cause in this epoch-making 
assembly. 

REV. W. H. CARWARDINE, ADAMS STREET M. E. CHURCH. 

THE TRUST CONFERENCE A SPLENDID EXPRESSION OF INDEPENDENCE OF 

THOUGHT. 

The great trust conference was a splendid expression of American 
independence of thought and freedom of discussion. Every phase of 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 451 

the question was considered, and each representative of economic belief 
was present except one. 

The business man was conspicuously absent. We ought to have 
heard from one of the great trust organizers. 

The trust is the legitimate outcome of competition. No power on 
earth can prevent the natural combination of capital as society is now 
organized. It ia the inevitable result of the evolution of commercial 
enterprise. 

The tendency of civilization is to centralize. Modern inventions 
have largely removed the limitations of time and space. The world is 
getting closer together. As men and nation centralize the struggle 
of existence becomes on the one hand keener, and fraternity, mutuality 
of interests and co-operation are emphasized. 

The very dangers that seemingly threaten us from the struggle for 
commercial supremacy are the symptoms that underlie the trend of 
world forces toward a higher and better civilization. 

I see the hand of God in all this. Prom the Gehenna of competition 
we are moving toward the Arcadia of co-operation. Out of this struggle 
will come better conditions for all. 



REV. R. A. WHITE, STEWART AVENUE UNIVERSALIST 

CHURCH. 

IT WAS A NOTABLE GATHERING. 

It was a notable gathering. Its influence must be vast. It ad- 
vanced no startlingly new ideas. It seemed woefully lacking in facts. 
Assertions were numerous enough that trusts raised prices or lowered 
them, elevated or depressed wages, were dangerous or valuable, but 
facts to prove the assertions were not in great evidence. 

One important thing this conference has brought prominently into 
view. Labor organizations and organizations of capital rest upon prac- 
tically the same industrial conditions. It will henceforth be difficult 
for the labor organizations to denounce the organization of money. 
Organized capital can scarcely with consistency denounce organized 
labor. Each seeks to reduce competition by organization. 

In the main the vital bearing of trusts upon manhood was seldom 
under discussion. But here is really the heart of the matter. 

Opinion was strong that the trust is the prelude to a vast industrial 
slavery. The free and independent small manufacturer, trader and 



452 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

laborer disappearing to give place to the hired servants of an all-pow- 
erful corporatiou. 

No graver danger confronts this nation than a propertyless class so 
environed by industrial conditions as to make ambition fruitless and 
hope vain. 

GOVERNOR H. S. PINGREE. 

BENEFITS OF THE CONFERENCE. 

The principal benefit, to my mind, was the revelation it gave us of 
the position which the advocates of the trust, or rather the trusts them- 
selves, would take. Even an ordinary observer could not fail to notice 
that the managers of trusts and their agents, the newspapers, had care- 
fully planned their line of defense at the conference. 

It was equally apparent that they recognized that the trust is on 
trial. So it was that at the conference the trust was defended, and 
skillfully, too, by corporation lawyers, professors, economists and theor- 
ists generally. On the other hand, the anti-trust side was just as ably 
presented by practical business men, fanners and leaders of labor inter- 
ests. 

Cockran placed the dollar above the man — that is, such is the logical 
outcome of his reasoning and his position. Bryan place<l the man above 
the dollar. The former is the commercial view, and therefore selfish 
and narrow. The latter is the humanitarian view. 

Mr. Cockran is undoubte'dly an orator. The trust could hardly have 
chosen a more effective champion. He held his audience spellbound 
and charmed by the beauty of his diction. One could not have con- 
demned bad corporate management in more scathing terms than he did. 

ITe threw bouquets at the laboring men. This was done with a pur- 
pose. 

It is evidently the plan of the trusts first to make laboring men 
believe their own salvation is in a fostering of the trust, and, second, 
to intimidate them or modify their zeal by claiming that labor unions 
are in fact trusts and that warfare on trusts is warfare on labor unions. 

I predict that labor will not be deceived. 

Mr. Bry-an's answer to Mr. Cockran that trusts enthrone money and 
debase mankind is complete and sufficient. 

I favor a federal law prohibitive of monopolies, with the machinery 
necessary to make it effective, with state laws to supplement it. 

I refuse to be cowetl by rules of political economy. The trust can be 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 453 

abolished by law. Public sentiment will compel it. In the absence of 
a uniform state, a federal law is necessary. It should be a drastic law. 

I have no sympathy with the sentiment of regulation. That is the 
remedy of trusts. It would result in their regulating themselves as 
they saw fit. The people want no more farces like the interstate com- 
merce commission. 

No benefit will come from taming wild snakes. Of course, if the 
people had in their employ snake-charmers like Mr. Cockran, with his 
powerful oratoi"y, it might be different. But the trusts ai'e the only 
ones able to retain the sei'vices of such talent. 



EEV. JENKIN LLOYD JONES, D. D. 

REFLECTS GREAT CREDIT ON THE CIVIC FEDERATION. 

The Trust Conference held in Chicago last week is to be put down as 
one of the most significant civic events of the year. It reflects great 
credit upon the Civic Federation of Chicago for the bold conception and 
the eflBcient execution of the plan. It also reflects great credit upon the 
speakers, all of them men of note, most of them men of special training, 
experts in their respective lines. 

They spoke frankly, earnestly and with a dignity that commanded 
courteous respect from the audience, from the public and from each 
other, however widely they might differ. 

It was also an occasion of great hopefulness. To re<?ognize the situa- 
tion, to honestly face the perplexity, is in this case more than half the 
battle. 

We are safe in afiirming: 

1. That the trust problem is pre-eminently the economic problem of 
to-day. 

2. That it must engage in the immediate future the attention of 
legislators; that it cannot be kept out of politics. It is inevitably one 
of the issues in the coming presidential campaign. 

3. That in some forai or another it must come under State and 
national control and direction. 

4. That all are agreed that illegitimate inflation of stock, expansion 
of values, is one element in the growth of trusts at the present time and 
that this element is now and always will be simply a crime and violation 
of the laws of honesty and a sin against the public. 

5. All are further agreed that absolute publicity of the books and 



454 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

tinancial methods of the trust is one of the first safeguards against these 
frauds. 

6. That the principle of combination is economically correct and 
that is the result of general evolution of life and knowledge, hence in 
some way or another combination not competition is "to be the indus- 
trial and economic law of the future." 

7. That only in so far as combinations advance the general interests 
of the community and exhilarate the industrial life of the world can 
they be tolerated. 

In short, all the speakers assumed the truth of Emerson's dictum 
that "that cannot be good for the bee that is not good for the hive;" in 
other words, that the interests of the individual must be made subser- 
vient to the interests of the whole. 

These are but preliminary and general affirmations, but even these 
go a great ways toward clearing the horizon. 

CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM AND TRUSTS. 

Miss Frances E. Willard, at the London W. C. T. U. Convention in 
1897, said: 

"I have become an advocate of sucli a change in social conditions as 
shall stamp out the disease and contagion of poverty even as medical 
science is stamping out leprosy, small-pox and cholera; and I believe 
the age in which we live will yet be characterized as one of those dark, 
dismal and damning ages when some people were so dead to the love 
of their kind that they left them in poverty without a heartache or a 
blush. 

"Poverty is a di-sease; it is a degradation; it has no right to 
be. • * * In the past we have comforted ourselves with looking 
upon it as the effect of wrong-doing, but have now aroused ourselves to 
the study of it as a cause. We are determined to burn out to its last 
infectious atom the stench of the slums. ♦ • • 

"Full well I know that a majority of those who read these lines will 
first of all call me a crank, and then find leaping to their lips His words 
who said, 'The poor ye have always with you.' Ry such evasions is 
Christ blasphemed, who stated to the people of that time one of the 
blackest facts in their hypocritical record, but whose gospel is the gun- 
powder of poverty; and one of the ground principles of whose earthly 
church, Ood-raade, was this, that they had all things in common." 

This she called Christian socialism or Christianity applied. Ry it she 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 455 

would conquer the new infidelity which says Christ's teachings are not 
practicable. 

In her last great address at Bufifalo, in 1897, she declared: 

"I would take, not by force, but by the slow process of lawful acquis- 
ition through better legislation, as the outcome of a wiser ballot in the 
hands of men and women, the entire plant that we call civilization, and 
all that has been achieved on this continent in the four hundred years 
since Columbus wended his way hither, and make it the common prop- 
erty of all the people, requiring all to work enough with their hands to 
give them the finest physical development, but not to become burden- 
some in any case, and permitting all to share alike the advantages of 
education and refinement. 

"I believe this to be perfectly practicable; indeed, that any other 
method is simply a relic of barbarism. I believe with Frederick Maurice, 
of England, that it is infidel for any one to say that the law of supply 
and demand is as changeless as the law of gravitation, which means 
that competition must forever prevail. I believe that competition is 
doomed. 

"The trust, whose sole object it is to abolish competition, has proven 
that we are better without than with it the moment any corporation 
controls the supply of any product. What the socialist desires is that 
the corporation of humanity should control all production. 

"Beloved comrades, this is the frictionless way, it is the higher law: 
it eliminates the motives for a selfish life; it enacts into our every-day 
living the ethics of Christ's gospel. Nothing else will do it, nothing 
else can bring the glad day of universal brotherhood." 

COMPETITION, TRUSTS AND SOCIALISM. 

The New York Tribune editorially says: 

"The capitalist and captain of industry in these later days has set 
himself to demonstrate that the theories of the socialist are sound. After 
some centuries of adherence to the principle that individual competition 
brings the best results and the greatest progress for the individual and 
for society, suddenly many thousand employers and capitalists rush out 
of business, give up the positions they occupy and the plants they own 
in order to avoid competition, and set themselves to prove that society 
can be best and most cheaply served, and the workers and managers 
from highest to lowest can get better returns, if all productive work in 
each branch is performed by a single centralized body controlling prices 



456 OPINIONS OX TRUSTS. 

and wages at pleasure, abolishing agents and middle-men, restrained 
by no competition, and responsible only to society as a whole. 

"If this theory is true, does it not follow as a matter of course that 
society as "a whole might better take possession of the plants and control 
the business, and absorb for itself the profits of production or the gains 
by cheapening production, at its pleasure? 

"The philosophy of the competitive period in human development has 
been sustained by the most rapid and healthful progi*ess ever known 
thus far, but the socialist answers that better yet is attainable. 

"Grant that this past stage of development was necessary, its best 
fruitage is a higher stage in which the costs and the losses of individual 
competition can be avoided, and in each branch of service all can freely 
do their best for the benefit of all. 

"Abolish the spur of competition, driving each to seek the latest 
inventions and the best devices, for they have been secured. 

"Take from traders and manufacturers the intense pressure of battle 
against each other, and give all of them a sure profit for a regular ser- 
vice to society. 

"Let the multitude of employes be also emancipated from the 
tyranny of competition, which closes some works and drives others to 
reduce wages, and let them all have their regular pay for service to 
society, increased by the elimination of the losses through competition. 

"When experience proves, as the socialist holds it will prove, that 
the greatest progress and the highest conditions yet attained are not 
comparable to those to be attained by abolishing competition, then no 
man but an idiot will question the wisdom of society as a whole taking 
control of all the processes of trade and industry, and the harmonious 
adjustment of all, with power to cheapen products or enlarge profits in 
each, as may best serve the general welfare. 

"If the modern combination proves that competition is no longer a 
benefit, but a curse, that individual struggling for success is no longer 
needed to evolve the best inventions and devices and bring them into 
use; that the monster corporation can work more cheaply and at the 
same time more wisely and ably in handling many establishments of dif- 
ferent kinds, far apart and under different circumstances, than the indi- 
vidual owners who have created them; that it can prevent the frequent 
stoppage of the weaker works while the stronger continue to thrive; 
that society no longer needs any defense against monopoly, because the 
monopoly must always cheapen in order to enlarge business, and that 
workers, consumers and employers will all gain by elimination of compe- 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 457 

tition, then, indeed, the socialist has only to demand the logical com- 
pletion of the journey. 

"There will be no sense in leaving the big corporations to blunder 
along, sometimes losing and sometimes hurting society by unwisdom, 
when society itself can appi'opriate their plants, direct their labor, make 
and bear its own blunders and pocket its own gains."' 

DR. F. W. GUNSAULUS, CENTRAL CHURCH, CENTRAL MUSIC 

HALL. 

THE GOLDEN RULE. 

What both capital and labor need to learn is that the golden rule 
is not only not the vague and unpractical dream of an idealist, but 
that it is the authoritative utterance of Him who has been seen to b« 
the voice of this very nature of which political economy talks. 

Now, then, if it is true that the golden rule is practical, if co-opera- 
tion as well as competition is the energy in civilization, if right is might 
and it is safe to trust it, our labor reformers as well as our capitalists 
have some mighty changes to make in their programmes and a new 
spirit must often inform their endeavors. 

I promise to be practical. Take for example the fact that labor is 
always likely to forget in its struggles the sacredness of labor. 

Every dollar in bank or in the business of manufacture is so much 
labor — labor of a nature like that which the laborer is performing; 
labor done and embodied, coined, if the money is righteous money; labor 
which has purchased so much of the circulating medium of exchange. 

The capitalist must be told that his business has grown, not by com- 
petition, as he supposes, but rather by co-operation; that these laborers 
have made their uncoined labor co-operate with his coined labor; that 
if he complains of hard times they feel it too, and that they have not 
shared adequately with his good times. 



BISHOP SAMUEL FALLOWS, REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

THE BALEFUL TRUST. 

Words are constantly being exalted or debased, limited or enlarged. 
Some of the best words once used by purists of language have become 
modem slang, and words which began as slang are now classic terms. 

One of the most important words, "trust," expressive of confidence 



458 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

in God and man, is rapidly degenerating into one of the basest, indica- 
tive of the robbery of human rights and the distrust of men by man. 

The modern baleful trust is a monopoly in its intention, and in its 
actuality as far as possible, of the raw product, the means of produc- 
tion, the finished product, and is the merciless master of the producer. 
It begins with self and ends with self. It has neither heart nor con- 
science nor soul. It will lie and cheat and steal. It will crush human 
effort, hopes, aspirations and desires with all the remorselessness of an 
irresponsible, oriental despot. 

This is not the language of heated rhetoric. It but feebly describes 
the model trust, which is the car of Juggernaut in a Christian land. 

The Christ of the working God, Himself a workingman, is in the 
midst of the world's activities to-day, proclaiming through those who 
truly love and serve Him: "See that you all do justly, love mercy and 
walk humbly before God, for one is your master, and only one, and ye 
all are brethren." 

ADDRESS OF HON. W. BOURKE COOKRAN. 

[Delivered at the Trust Conference at Chicago, 1899.] 

If an ordinary industry capitalizes for $5,000,000, knowing that it 
could not pay dividends upon $1,000,000, and then without any positive 
falsehood deceives, by what is commonly called finance 'scenery,' so as 
to induce the public to buy at a fictitious value, I call that a swindle, 
and it would be called a swindle if it is perpetrated against a shoe 
dealer on the Bowery, where it is often called an operation. Now, my 
friends, the remedy for all evils, in my judgment, is the original remedy 
which I suggested — publicity, publicity. 

The hatred of corporations, which, as I say, is not wholly justified, 
is not discreditable to the public opinion of America. In fact, I lay it 
down as a cardinal rule, which I think any person can follow with per- 
fect safety, that wherever you find a general opinion on any subject in 
America there is always a pretty good ground for it. The distrust of 
corporations arises not, in my judgment, from any well-considered dis- 
liki' to corporate entities. 

My friend from Texas, whose eloquent periods moved this body as 
I have not .seen it moved, on the first day of our session, was careful to 
distinguish between corporations which acted for the public good and 
those which acted for the oppression of the public. I am not quite sure 




They WEJ?E injured, robbed and 0UfFA6Eff=WfflL DEPRIVED 
OF PROPERTY AND CREDIT AND THEN SENT OVER THE 
PRECIPICE OF INSOLVENCY IN A CONDITION 50 
ROTTEN THAT THEIR FALL WAS N0I5ELE5&." 

Hon- Bourke Cockran. 



C«>j)yright, I'.'iM), by J. L. Nichols & Cn. 

THE TRUST HOG SENT OVER THE PRECIPICE OF INSOLVENCY 



460 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

that I understood the distinction from bis words, but I think he and I 
perfectly sympathized in our feelings. 

We do not object to the principle of cooperation. Corporate exist- 
ence is the natural evolution of the partnership; it is a scheme by which 
men, strangers to each other, can cooperate in production; while part- 
nership was a scheme limited to men who knew each other and were 
compelled to work together. But the management of corporations has 
been the blackest page in all our history. 

The public indignation, unfortunately, which ought to be expended 
upon the corporate management which is responsible for this shame, 
has too often been visited upon the stockholders and the corporations 
themselves, who have been the victims of that infamy. It is a chapter 
which is perhaps the blackest, as I have said, in our history, this whole 
question of corporate management. If you read the details of it it will 
fill you with a sense of shame for your country. 

You have only got to look back to the history of the panic of 1S73, 
and the history of the panic of 1893, and the corporate niauagemeut that 
preceded that panic, to find corporations wrecked and looted by those 
to whose hands they were intrusted — their treasuries empty, worthless 
property sold to them, that were but small and thin disguises of truth. 
They were injured, robbed and outraged until deprived of property and 
credit, and then sent over the precipice of insolvency in a condition so 
rotten that their fall was noiseless. 

Now all this story of infamy and of wrong and of perfidy and of 
fraud has not brought one hour of shame or humiliation to those who 
have perpetrated it. They are w'alking the streets to-day, their head.s 
high in the world of finance. To the best informed the story is only 
partially known; .to the vast mass of the people it is a sealed book. 

Why, we talk about the corruption of municipal corporations. Well, 
they probably are corrupt — certainly not more so than they are be- 
lieved to be. But the government of corporations, notwithstanding 
that year after year we see evidences of the recklessness with which it 
has been conducted, the fraud which has characterized its management 
— I don't believe that in the whole history of jurisprudence there has 
been a case in which a director has been compelled to answer for it. 

These frauds are perpetrated in insidious methods. The public is 
fooled as to the value of the stock by specific statements; interest is 
paid upon bonds which has never been earned, and the public believes 
them solvent; it pays its fixed charges and the public buys the stock, 
even though no dividends have been paid, believing that dividends are 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 4G1 

soon to be paid because the fixed charges are met; interest is paid on 
the preferred stock which never has been earned that the comuiou stock 
may be floated; but when the collapse comes, when the ruin is complete, 
in nine cases out of ten the engineers of this ruin are appointed the re- 
ceivers by the courts in order to conduct the plan of reorganization. 

ADDRESS OF COL. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN. 

[Delivered at the Trust Conference at Chicago. 1899.] 

The real cause of trusts is our long period of falling prices, caused by 
the rising dollar, due to bad financial legislation. The loss on inv.est- 
ments, declines in property, profitless business, and the necessity for 
preventing further losses, have forced combinations to hold up or in- 
crease prices. Such losses, declines and necessities would not have 
occurred but for rising dollars and the attendant fall in the level of 
prices. 

The high tariff has aided monopoly, for no one can dispute that an 
import duty enables a trust to charge for its product the price of a simi- 
lar product, plus the tariff. 

I want to start with the declaration that monopoly in private hands 
is indefensible from any standpoint and intolerable. 

I make no exceptions to the rule. I do not divide monopolies in 
private hands into good monopolies and bad monopolies. There is no 
good monopoly in private hands. There can be no good monopoly ia 
private hands until the Almighty sends us angels to preside over us. 

In 1859 Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to some people at Boston, 
and in the course of the letter he said: "The Republican party believes 
in the man and the dollar, but in case of conflict it believes in the man 
before the dollar." 

Man is the creature of God and money is the creature of man. 
Money is made to be the servant of man — (applause) — and I protest 
against all theories that enthrone money and debase mankind. 

Lincoln warned us against monopoly, and Lincoln was right. 

I protest in the beginning against settling every question upon the 
dollar argument. I protest against the attempt to drag every question 
down to the low level of dollars and cents. 

If you will go about over the country you will see where the people 
have subscribed money to establish enterprises, having come under the 
control of the trusts, have been closed up, and stand now as silent monu- 
ments to the wisdom of the trust svstem. 



462 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

We get ideas from the animals about us. We used to protect prop- 
erty, down iu Iowa, by putting rings in the noses of hogs. Why did 
we do that? So that while they were getting fat they would not 
destroy more than thev were worth. And the thought came to me that 
one of the purposes of government was to put rings in the noses of hogs. 

The farmer cannot inflate the value of his land by watering the 
value of that land. The merchant in the store cannot inflate the value 
of the goods upon his shelves. Why should the corporation be per- 
mitted to put out stock that represents no real value? 

In my judgment, when you take from monopoly the power to issue 
stock not represented by muuey you will go more than half way 
toward destroying monopoly iu the United States. 

We have been placing the dollar above the man; we have been 
picking out favorites in government; we have been bestowing upon 
them special privileges, and every advantage we have given them has 
been given them to the detriment of other people. 

When God made man as the climax of creation he looked upon his 
work and said that it was good, and yet when God got through the 
tallest man was not much taller than the shortest, and the strongest 
man was not much stronger than the weakest. That was God's plan. 

We looked upon his work and said that it was not quite as good as 
it might be, and so we made a fictitious man that is in some instances 
a hundred times — a thousand times — a million times — stronger than 
God made man. 

When God made man he breathed into Him a soul and warned him 
that in the next world he would be held accountable for the deeds done 
in the flesh, but when we made our man-made man we did not give him 
a .soul, aud if he can avoid punishment in this world he need not worry 
about the hereafter 

The trust is the natural outgrowth of unnatural conditions created 
by man-made laws. There are some who would defend everything, 
good or bad, on the ground that it is a part of destiny. 

Put the industrial system of this nation in the hands of a few men 
and let them determine the price of finished products and the wages of 
labor paid, and you will have an iudustria! aristocracy beside which 
a lauded aristocracy would be an innocent thing, in my judgment. 

Place the food and clothing, and all that we eat and wear and use, 
in the hands of a few people, and instead of being a government by the 
people, it will be a government of the syndicates, by the syndicates, and 
for the syndicates. 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 463 

Establish such a system and on the ni<;ht before election a man will 
be notified not to come back on the day after election, unless the policy 
of trusts' candidate is successful. 



MAYOR S. M. JONES OF TOLEDO LOOKS ON TRUSTS COM- 
PLACENTLY. 

I wish to say that I am inclined to regard the growth of these organi- 
zations within the last few months rather complacently. 

I believe in a large program for society. I believe it to be our 
duty and privilege in this republic to find a plan big enough to provide 
for all the people, and I see in the growth of the trust an indication of 
the growing movement toward collectivism. 

I believe in brotherhood. The trust is the American brotherhood 
(limited). The trust is jireparing the way, showing society the great 
benefits that may be derived through the association in industry, and 
the great economic value of association, both in production and dis- 
tribution. An invention that lightens the burden of the world toilers 
and makes it possible for one man to do the work of twelve is called 
a labor-saving machine. Does it matter whether the machine is made of 
wood and iron or composed of organizations and associations of men? 
If the result is the same it is a labor-saving machine. In this sense 
the trust is a labor-saving machine. 

The triumph of the trust is one of the marvels of the closing years 
of the nineteenth century; but it is an economic development, strictly 
in the line of progress, and our problem is uot how to destroy them, but 
to use them for the good of all. Like the prototype, the labor-saving 
machinery, constructed of wood and iron, they have come to stay. 

What shall we do with a trust, with the continually increasing 
army of unemployed thrown out by these organizations? I reply we 
must organize government in the interest of all, for the good of all; so 
that we may utilize the economic side of the trust. 

We must leave off the word (limited) from the great American, 
brotherhood that I have referred to and must own and operate the 
trust for the benefit of the people, as we now own and operate the post- 
office trust. The profit that accrues to the organizations known as 
trusts belong to society and may be properly called the "increment of 
associated organizations." 

Equality of opportunity or brotherhood is the goal for which the 



464 OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 

race is struggling, and tlio trust, wliile purely selfish in its inspiration, 
is the expression of the great social spirit now stirring the hearts of the 
people. 

The movement toward municipal ownership, toward public owner- 
ship, toward cooperation of every sort, indicates the channel through 
which the people are to come into the possession of their own. When 
they are thoroughly enlightened, they will simply retake, in a perfectly 
orderly way, the properties that have passed out of their hands and 
become private property. The people will own and operate their own 
trust; its name will be the Cooperative Commonwealth. 

THE EVILS OF THE TRUST. 

The Rev. Father Ducey, pastor of St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church 
of New York City, spoke on the Evils of the Trust at his midnight mass 
sermon, December 31, 1899. 

lie termed it a Twentieth Century sermon. He said: 

"I have presented to you from time to time the great demand of 
humanity in the closing quarter of the nineteenth century, and have 
dealt with all the social and economical questions enunciated by our 
common brother, Jesus Christ, in the interest and for the happiness of 
humanity. Prophets and reformers are always despised factors in the 
social economy of this world, but always recognized factors in the 
economy of Jesus Christ. Every question which I have enunciated from 
the altar in the past nine years has been affirmed by the utterances and 
Encyclicals of that marvelous Pontiff. Leo XIII. 

"For the last twenty years the tyranny of the money power has been 
growing in this Republic, and I believe there is permitted more freedom 
of speech in Great Britain, in its House of Commons and its House of 
Lords, than we are allowed to exercise in this country. 

"The monarchy of Great Britain is less tyrannical than the money 
and trust power in these United States, in my judgment. In the last few 
years this power has attempted to control the educational institutions 
of this country. It has used its powers to drive from the larger univer- 
sities unselfish and sacrificing professors. It has throttled the liberty 
of speech, and in the great centers of the Middle States the press, with 
rare exceptions, has been silent. 

"But a few years ago a man who was president of a university and 
Iiresumed to express convictions upon certain public questions was 
ousted from his position for expressing those convictions by a great 



OPINIONS ON TRUSTS. 4C5 

money power, which is attempting to control the Government of this 
country, the judiciary and even the very centers of non-Catholic 
thoughts in the pulpit, and is dictating to men how they must think 
and how they must speak, but they must not think or speak as God 
wishes them to speak or their own consciences direct them. 

"Moreover, this power perverts the truths of Holy Scripture and, 
like the devil, quotes Scrijiture to suit its own purpose. The great 
question for solution in the nineteenth centurj-, according to the 
Encyclical of Leo XIII. is that 'a remedy must be found, and found 
quickly, or the good people will be driven into rebellion and violence.' 

"This closing year of the nineteenth century must find teachers of 
Christianity keenly alive to the demands of the people and to their 
rights and justice in equity. I believe firmly that a great crusade of 
moral evolution and development will manifest itself in the coming- 
decade of the twentieth century, and will be prefaced in preparation 
by the just and fearless utterances of men in public life and the pulpits 
of God, demanding justice for the people. 

"The men who are now attempting to control the industrial and 
mental forces will be pushed to the wall and the rights of the people 
will be asserted, and that which God has given them grasped from the 
hands of their oppressors as successfully as Moses grasped justice for 
the Hebrew people from the tyrannies and oppressions of the Pharaohs. 

"I hope that every member of this congregation will realize his 
obligation to live as the epistle directs him to live, justly and godly, and 
to protest against the covetousness and luxury of the unjust and tyran- 
nical oppression by the corrupt corporation powers of the times in which 
we live." 



CHAPTER XXIX. 
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP. 
(Prom "Municipal Monopolies.") 

Under private ownership of electric lights, Vincennes, Ind., popula- 
tion 12,000, pays |96 per year per street arc. Cost of coal per ton sixty- 
five cents. 

Under city ownership of electric lights, Bowling Green, Ky., popula- 
tion 12,000, pays |56.03 per year (which includes 7 1-2 per cent for in- 
terest and depreciation) per street arc. Cost of coal per ton $1.28. 

Under private ownership of electric lights, Racine, Wis., population 
27,000, pays |98.50 annually for each street arc lamp. 

Under public ownership of electric lights, Decatur, 111., population 
27,000, pays $50.00 for the same service, which includes 7 1-2 per cent 
for interest and depreciation of plant. 

London, Ohio, with a population of 5,000, furnishes its own electric 
lighting service at a cost of $57.58 per street arc per year, which charge 
includes 7 1-2 per cent for interest and depreciation. Cost of coal $1.81 
per ton. 

Pomeroy, Ohio, population 5,500, doesn't do it that way. They pay a 
private company $89.00 per street arc per year. Coal eighty-seven cents 
per ton. 

Under private ownership, Danville, 111., population 16,000, pays $80 
annual rental for street arc lamps. Cost of coal per ton sixty cents. 

Under public ownership, Ilannibal, Mo., population 16,000, pays 
yearly $40.79 for each street arc, which also includes 7 1-2 per cent for 
interest and depreciation of plant. Coal $1.40 per ton. 

Under private ownership of the electric lighting system, Waukesha, 
Wis., population 8,000, pays $78 per year for each street arc. 

Under public ownership. Marietta, Ohio, population 8,273, furnishes 
itself with street arcs at a cost of $44.50 each per annum, which includes 
7 1-2 per cent for interest and depreciation of plant. 

Under private ownership, Lebanon, Pa., population 18,000, pays an 
annual rental of $104 for each street arc lamp. Coal per ton $1.65. 

Logansport, Ind., population 18,000, does differently. The city owns 
the plant and it costs them $24.44 per street arc per year, which includes 
5 per cent interest and depreciation of plant charges. Coal per ton $1.65. 

466 



MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP. 467 

Under private ownership, Big Rapids, Mich., population 5,200, pays 
$41 per annum for each street arc. Plant operated by water power. 

At South Haven, Mich., the municipality owns the electric plant 
and furnishes the same service to citizens for thirty-five cents per lamp 
per month. 

The electric lighting plant at Muskegon, Mich., is owned by a cox*- 
poration which charges fl.OO per month per incandescent light. 

At Three Oaks, Mich., the city owns the plant and charges thirty- 
five for the same service. 

A private company furnishes consumers of electric lighting at Iron- 
wood City, Mich., with incandescent lights at |1 each per month. 

At Shelby, Mich., the city owns the plant and an incandescent light 
costs thirty cents per month. But then Ironwood people have money 
to throw at the birds. 

Fairman, Mich., is served with electric lights by a corporation which 
charges twenty-five cents per incandescent light per month. That is the 
lowest charge made in the State by a private company. 

Wyandotte, Mich., owns a municipal plant and furnishes incandes- 
cent lights at a cost of 16 2-3 cents per light per month. That is the 
lowest charge in the State made by either a ijublic or private plant. 
The public plants average 30.4 per cent lower charges than the private 
ones do. 

Under public ownership, Brainerd, Minn., population 5,701, pays 
$12.50 for the same service, which charge includes 5 per cent for interest 
and depreciation. Water power is used. 

Under private ownership of electric lights, Watertown, N. Y., popu- 
lation 20,000, pays |82.12 per annum rental for street arcs. Water power 
is used. 

Under public ownership, Bangor, Maine, population 20,000, pays 
$58.04 per annum for street arcs, which includes 5 per cent for deprecia- 
tion of plant. Water power is used. 

Under private ownership, Fulton, N. Y., population 5,000, pays .f60 
per annum rent per street arc. Water power is used. This price is too 
high because of the peculiarly cheap power employed. 

Under public ownership, Niles, Mich., population 5,000, pays |25.48 
for the same service, which includes 5 per cent for interest and deprecia- 
tion of plant. Water is the power used. 

Under private ownership, Sacramento, Cal., population 35,000, pays 
f 123 per annum rent for each street arc. Water power is used. 

Under public ownership, Topeka, Kan., population 35,000, pays 



468 MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP. 

$59.73 for the same service, which includes 5 per cent for interest and 
depreciation charges. Coal .f 2.00 per ton. 

Under private ownership, Dallas, Texas, population 50,000, pays |100 
per annum rent for each street arc. Coal !i!3.75 per ton. 

Under public ownership, Galveston, Texas, population 50,000, pays 
?84.73, which includes 5 per cent for interest and depreciation of plant. 
Coal $4 per ton. 

Under private ownership, Chillicothe, Ohio, population 15,000, pays 
$75 per annum for the light of each street arc. Coal |2 per ton. 

Under public ownership, Alameda, Cal., population 15,000, pays 
|i5C.08 for the same service, which includes 5 per cent for interest and 
depreciation of plant. Coal .fG.25 per ton. (Six dollars and twenty-five 
cents per ton.) 

Under private ownership of electric lights, Elyria, Ohio, population 
10,000, pays |75 per year per street arc. Coal per ton |1.40. 

Under city ownership, Columbus, Ind., population 10,000, pays 
159.42 for the same service, including 5 per cent interest and deprecia- 
tion charge. Coal per ton |1.09. 

Under private ownership, the citizens of Bessimer, Mich., pay |1 per 
month for incandescent electric lights. 

Under public ownership, the citizens of Stanton, Mich., pay fifty 
cents for the same service. 

The citizens of Greenville, Mich., believe in the private ownership 
idea and pay a corporation $1 per month for each incandescent light 
they use. The company utilizes water power. 

People living in Marshall, Mich., practice city ownership and pay the 
municipality thirty-eight cents for the same service that Greenville citi- 
zens pay f 1 for. The city plant at Marshall is run by water power. 

Citizens of Calcaska, Mich., patronize a private company in purchas- 
ing electric lights and an incandescent light costs them $2.50 per month. 



MUNICIPAL OWNEESHIP. 

BY FRANK PARSONS. 

I. THE HEART OF THE MATTER 

Private monopoly means 

1. Privilege, unequal rights, breach of democracy. 

2. Congestion of wealth and opportunity. 

3. Antagonism of interest between owners and the public, producing 
extortion, inflation, fraud, defiance of law, corruption of government. 



MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP. 469 

4. The sovereign power of taxation in private hands, and the ultra- 
sovereign or despotic power of taxation without representation and for 
private purposes. 

Regulation, though capable of affording some relief, cannot attain a 
complete solution, because it cannot eliminate privilege, congestion of 
benefit or antagonism of interest, and the motives to corruption, fraud 
and evasion of law are intensified and evil is driven deeper into the dark. 

Public ownership, in the true sense, will abolish privilege and re- 
move the antagonism of interest between monopolists and the public 
which is the tap root of monopoly evils. Public ownership alone can 
attain the maximum diffusion of benefit, and realize the ideals of democ- 
racy. Only the people have a right to sovereign power, wherefore only 
the people have a right to ow'u a monopoly which Involves the power of 
taxation. Only public ownership can transform the monopolistic power 
of taxation without representation and for private purposes, into a just 
and proper power of taxation with representation and for public i)ur- 
poses. 

Justice and manhood require public ownership of monopolies. 
The change of monopoly from private to public ownership and control 
means a change of purpose from dividends for a few to service for all. 
It is a fundamental maxim of business that property is to be managed 
in the interest of its owners. Public utilities ought to be managed in the 
public interest and not in any private interest, and therefore ought to 
be owned by the public. 

The same managers who serve the interests of a small body of 
stockholders now would serve the interests of a large body if the 
ownership were transferred to the public. Monopoly is not bad, but 
private monopoly is; make the monopoly public and you keep the 
good and get rid of the evil. Monopoly we are bound to have; it is 
an economic necessity; the only question is: Shall the monopolies 
own the people or shall the people own the monopolies? 

II. PRACTICAL STEPS TOWARD PUBLIC OWNERSHIP. 

Secure the following: 

1. Publicity of the accounts and transactions of corporations, 
monopolies and combines, in order that we may know exactly what 
the real investment, operating cost, salaries, wages, depreciation and 
profits are. The law should provide for direct inspection and audit 
by public officers and for full publicity of the results. The public, 
which supplies the franchises and the patronage, is of right a partner 



470 MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP. 

in the business and entitled to a knowledge of the inside facts. This 
knowledge is needed to fully prepare the way for the following. 

2. Effective prohibitions and penalties against stock watering and 
inflation of capital, and taxation of the maximum, free or market value 
of corporate securities, instead of allowing the companies to tax the 
people in rates on the basis of face and market values, while paying 
back to the public a small tax on the actual value, or, in most cases, a 
small fraction of the actual value of the plant. This will help to 
squeeze the existing inflation out of monopolistic capital, especially 
if the tax rate be made progressively higher in proportion to the width 
of separation between the maximum face or market capitalization and 
the structural value of the plant. This measure will have the addi- 
tional advantage of enlarging the public revenues during the process 
of cutting down overgrown capitalization. 

3. Keduction of rates by legislatures, councils, commissions, etc., 
to the point where (after paying operating cost, depreciation and taxes) 
they will yield simply a reasonable i)rofit on the actual present value 
of the capital the owners have put into the business. This will check 
extortion, diminish the funds available for coiTuption and wealth con- 
gestion, squeeze the remaining water out of corporate capital and 
prepare the way for public purchase at reasonable prices. (The amount 
the owners have put into the business less depreciation.) 

4. Progressive taxation of large incomes and inheritances, land 
values and other properties exceeding a moderate individual holding. 
This will help to check the concentration of wealth, diminish the cor- 
ruption fund, return to the people a part of the money unfairly taken 
from them in monopoly taxes, etc., and provide ample funds for the 
public purchase or construction of gas and electric plants, street rail- 
ways, telephone systems, etc. By perfectly just and lawful methods we 
can meet the cost of buying the monopolies by making the monopolists 
pay that cost out of the moneys they have captured from the people 
through unearned rents, excessive rates and unjust legislative grants 
— we can do it by means of progressive taxes levied in accordance 
with the principles laid down by Judge Cooley, John Stuart Jlill, 
Francis A. Walker and other eminent authorities, culminating in the 
equitable maxim, "Equality in taxation means equality of sacrifice." 
The eminent scientist, Alfred Wallace, advocates a strong progressive 
tax on incomes and inheritances. He believes that 10, 20, 30 and 40 
per cent of the surplus above the same number of thousands in the 
incomes of rich men should go to the public treasury. 

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